CHAPTER 12: People Are So Freaking Weird

Notes:

AU Info: Some changes to the following character's age.

Kabuto - 9

Yoroi Akado - 9

He headed towards one of the orphanages he is now sponsoring, Nono Yakushi's. He couldn't help but find it peculiar that she, a former Anbu Root member, would choose to run an orphanage. The idea of leaving Root seemed laughable to him, and the fact that a once cold-hearted Root Anbu would willingly take on the responsibility of caring for orphaned children added to the oddity.

As he made his way, he politely greeted the people he encountered along the way. His mind raced with possibilities and choices, contemplating the ways in which he could instantly change the fate of those he was about to meet. As he approached the orphanage, he took in the sight of the rundown building, overflowing with kids, and the dilapidated fences and facilities. He sensed someone watching him, and his chakra signature was surprisingly large for his age. He turned to see a grey-haired boy sitting next to a tree, previously engrossed in a book. The boy's curious eyes wandered over him, clearly aware of his identity.

Haruki walked towards him, and as he neared the tree, he waved at the boy, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. The boy quickly stood up, almost dropping his book, before bowing in reverence. Haruki couldn't help but chuckle at the child's display of formality. "You don't have to do that," he smiled warmly. "But… isn't it rude to not stick to etiquette when meeting a noble?" the boy whispered, confused.

"For most nobles, yes. But I'm not a stickler for social etiquette unless the situation requires it," he calmly explained. The boy's eyes sparkled with admiration, and he asked, "What's your name?" The boy shyly replied, clearly embarrassed that he forgot to introduce himself, "Kabuto." Haruki beamed at him, "Nice to meet you too, Kabuto. I'm Haruki."

Kabuto looked at him strangely. "I think the whole village knows you, Saint-sama," he said. Haruki shook his head. "They may know of me, have heard rumors and stories about me, and have seen me, but that's different from truly knowing me," he reasoned. Kabuto pondered for a moment before understanding.

"Kabuto-kun, it's okay to not be so formal with me. Our ages aren't that far apart anyway," Haruki encouraged. Kabuto fiercely shook his head, his eyes brimming with admiration, and even his chakra seemed to sparkle. "You are the Saint who is famed to be the best healer of the era. Someone who is worshipped by people across the Land of Fire!" he exclaimed before his voice trailed off, whispering, "and you're an orphan too."

Haruki patted Kabuto's back, trying to reassure the boy. "We hear about your story all the time, you know?" the younger boy claimed. Kabuto's eyes still glimmered with awe. "Who wouldn't want to be just like you, Saint-sama? We share the same fate as you… yet you blossomed," his voice fading as he continued. "I even read all the books I could find about medical arts… I even tried to learn iryoninjutsu just to be like you," he whispered, sounding defeated.

Haruki was taken aback. Was this part of the canon? He had thought Kabuto learned iryoninjutsu to earn money for the orphanage. Had his presence altered the story? He was completely flabbergasted by the unexpected change. Just ten minutes ago, he had been contemplating getting rid of the boy.

Looking at Haruki's confused expression, Kabuto became embarrassed and tried to hide his face behind his book. "Why not aim to become the Hokage? Or at least be like Tsunade-sama? Shouldn't you aim higher?" he questioned.

Kabuto gazed at him as if he had said the most absurd thing. He stood up, his emotions overwhelming him. "Hey! You can't talk about the Saint of Embers like that!" Haruki thought to himself, "Dude, I'm literally him." "The Saint of Embers is a hero too!" Kabuto exclaimed. "He doesn't need to go to war to become famous! He saves lives for a living! He was even granted nobility!" The boy was clearly offended. Once he calmed down, he began to realize that he had just yelled at the so-called Saint.

"I-I'm so sorry," Kabuto kept bowing, while Haruki remained frozen, processing what had just happened. "I didn't mean to scream at you, Saint-sama," Kabuto said, desperation lacing his voice as tears welled up in his eyes. "It's just that…" his voice trailed off as he struggled to catch his breath.

Haruki tried to defuse the situation before someone mistook him for bullying a child. "I'm honored that you think so highly of me, Kabuto-kun. Maybe you just haven't met my sensei. She even used to beat me up from time to time," he joked, hoping to lighten the mood. Now it was Kabuto's turn to freeze. Before the tears could start flowing, Kabuto added, "Why would she do that? Is she jealous of you?" His words were muffled by Kabuto's sniffs.

"He's my sensei, Kabuto. In what world would my sensei be jealous of me?" Haruki burst out laughing, trying to calm the boy down. "Okay, okay," he said, taking out a handkerchief from his storage scroll. Kabuto's eyes widened, thinking that Haruki had materialized it out of thin air. "Awesome..." he murmured.

The swishing sound of the grass caught their attention as a boy ran towards them. "You can't make Kabuto-kun cry!!" someone screamed at Haruki. Kabuto panicked, and as he turned back to see who it was, he shouted, "S-Stop! You're a bully!" The new boy was about to jump on Haruki when Kabuto surprised him by body-slamming him.

"You can't harm my hero, you doofus!" Kabuto screamed, grabbing and pulling the other boy's hair. "What?! He made you cry!" the boy argued, still grappling with Kabuto. The two of them continued to wrestle with each other, causing Haruki to wince at the thought of the bruises they were going to have. "Which Saint? He's just a boy!" the new boy screamed in frustration.

"WHICH SAINT?!" Kabuto shouted in outrage. "He's THE Saint, Yoroi, you idiot!" Haruki tried to recall where he had heard the name 'Yoroi' before, but his thoughts were interrupted by the boys' continued altercation.

Finally realizing that neither of them had any intention of stopping, Haruki clapped his palms loudly. "Okay, let's talk with our words and not with our fists!" he declared. Both boys refused, each arguing their side. "He insulted you!" Kabuto, still seething with anger, accused. On the other hand, Yoroi pointed a finger at Haruki and accused him, "You're a bully!" The tension in the room escalated as their voices grew louder, their anger fueling the argument.

Growing tired of their bickering, Haruki extended chakra strings from his fingers, skillfully manipulating them with a wave of his hand. The chakra strings swiftly wrapped around both boys, effectively separating them from each other. "Okay, okay. Let's have a calm conversation, shall we?" he suggested, leaving the two of them silent and staring in awe at his remarkable display of control.

"That was so cool!" the two boys whispered in amazement, as if it had been planned. Haruki gently released them from the chakra strings, which simply dissipated. "How did you do that?" Yoroi asked excitedly, running towards Haruki, with Kabuto quickly trailing behind, his eyes fixed on Haruki, clearly wanting to know too.

Haruki chuckled at their sudden change in demeanor. "Chakra strings are actually used as a training method for developing high-level chakra control," he calmly explained, noticing the shimmer of curiosity and joy in their eyes. He then turned his gaze towards Kabuto and added, "It's an essential technique if you want to master precise chakra manipulation, especially for those aspiring to become skilled in medical ninjutsu." The grey-haired boy nodded eagerly, fully absorbing the information.

"Although some ninja from Suna use it to control and manipulate puppets, like the Second Kazekage," Haruki continued. Yoroi exclaimed in amazement, "Waaaah," before quickly returning to his earlier suspicious look. Kabuto, who had been tense and ready to pounce, finally got a chance to explain what had transpired.

As soon as Yoroi realized who Haruki was, he eagerly asked, "Are you really the Saint of Embers?" Kabuto, once again filled with fury, interjected, "Platinum blonde hair shimmering in the sun and red eyes sparkling like the most precious crystals. That's the description of the Saint! And who else at that age can walk with the grace that most adults couldn't?" he passionately explained.

The other two simply stared at Kabuto until he succumbed to another bout of embarrassment. Haruki laughed and raised his palm, which suddenly glowed green. The light stretched towards the two boys, caressing their injured skin and instantly removing all their bruises. They gawked at him in awe. What better way to prove his own identity?

He ended up fielding endless questions from the two of them. When Yoroi formally introduced himself as "Akado Yoroi," Haruki was dumbfounded. He knew who Akado Yoroi was—another associate of Orochimaru, capable of innately absorbing chakra. He wasn't aware that Yoroi would be in the same orphanage as Kabuto. But that wasn't the true cause of his confusion.

The Akado Yoroi from the canon wore ugly circular sunglasses, often hiding his face behind a mask and a bandana. He was an unimportant, unattractive NPC. However, the boy standing in front of Haruki now was completely different from the future Yoroi in every way. Baffled by the situation, Haruki kept his thoughts to himself as he continued answering their questions.

Not long after, Nono noticed Haruki outside and hurriedly left the orphanage to run towards him. "Saint-sama," she greeted him with a wry smile. He nodded and then handed her a scroll. This particular orphanage had been severely impacted by the lack of funds, so upon learning about it, Haruki decided to provide them with enough resources to sustain themselves for the next few months while he worked on formalizing ongoing funding for the orphanage.

Nono bowed deeply, tears in her eyes, leaving the two boys confused. "You don't have to think too much about it, Nono-san," Haruki calmly reassured her. Kabuto seemed to catch on and nodded repeatedly, muttering several more words of gratitude.

He gestured for Nono to walk with him, and they slowly moved away from the boys who were now engaged in conversation, though Kabuto still occasionally glanced back at Haruki. "I've heard from Kabuto that you sometimes treat wounded ninjas on the side to fund the orphanage," Haruki mentioned. "Yes... We didn't have much choice," Nono replied. Understanding her predicament, he said, "I hope you'll stop doing that from now on," making a sudden request that confused her. However, she immediately agreed.

"Kabuto is smart, talented even," he said, and Nono beamed with pride. "Kids like that die every day," he emphasized, causing Nono's smile to quickly fade. As a former Anbu and jonin, she understood the harsh realities of their world. His eyes remained firm, not hostile but carrying immense pressure. "We wouldn't want that, would we?" he patiently asked, his voice innocent yet heavy with implication. Nono flinched, realizing the weight of his words.

"I fund the orphanages to help the most vulnerable, to give them a chance to live a normal childhood without being looked down upon, so that they can live with dignity, Matron Yakushi. Let's strive to give them that, shall we?" he said, sensing her chakra steadying, burning brighter.

She bowed deeply, her voice determined as she replied, "Yes. We wouldn't want the wrong attention on these innocent children." Her chakra confirmed her commitment. "If you ever need help," he stressed, "you'll be the first and only person I'll turn to." Her response was resolute, "I understand."

They walked back toward the boys, and he winked at Kabuto, who promptly turned into a tomato. "Kabuto," he called out. "I know you're skilled in iryo-jutsu, but you shouldn't use it publicly," he stated, and the baffled boy listened intently without interrupting. "There are many bad people out there," he gently patted Kabuto's soft grey hair, "and we wouldn't want them coming to the orphanages, would we?" Despite his soft voice, Kabuto quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. The boy was too intelligent for his own good.

Kabuto's head bobbed as he asked, "But some people already know about my ability," his worry evident in his whisper. "Then you just have to be more careful in the future. You don't have to worry," he reassured. "The orphanages are being sponsored now, so you and Matron Nono don't have to work on the side anymore." Both boys' eyes widened in surprise. "Leave the worrying to me and Matron Nono, okay?"

Both boys nodded in agreement. "Instead, why not focus more on the theoretical aspect of iryo-jutsu? When you're old enough, you can enroll to study at the hospital, and I'll teach you the more practical aspects," he suggested. Kabuto's jaw dropped in astonishment. "A-are you serious?" he stuttered. "Pinky promise?!" the boy pressed with innocence.

Haruki and Nono laughed. He extended his pinkie, and Kabuto quickly entwined his finger with it. "That's a deal! You can't back out," Kabuto declared. Haruki retrieved one of his notebooks from his storage tattoo and handed it to Kabuto. "Here," he said, giving the book to Kabuto, who held it carefully with both hands, treating it like a sacred scripture. "It's a copy of one of my notes on medical and poisonous herbs. Just make sure no one else knows about it."

Then he turned to Yoroi and presented him with a picture book on Taijutsu. "One of the nobles I know once wanted to learn Taijutsu, so he hired a mentor and bought a bunch of books on it," Haruki explained, pointing at the book. "This is one of them. A healthy body not only makes you physically stronger but also allows you to accumulate more chakra." Yoroi's enthusiasm was evident as he received the gift.

"Work on it. Once you both finish and master the content, I'll consider giving you more," Haruki encouraged them. "I'll see you guys soon, okay?" The boys frowned, disappointment visible on their faces, but Nono teased them with a grin. "Don't worry, we'll see Saint-sama sooner than you think," she hinted, causing their faces to light up with excitement.

As he walked away, he noticed a certain somber girl with her head down being sneered at by passersby. Her purple hair gave away her identity. What were the damn chances? After thinking for a while, he decided to head back home, realizing that he would have to get used to encountering people from the canon all the time now.

He chose a different, less crowded route back to his house through the Konoha forest. As he walked, he sensed a unique chakra—fiery yet devoid of heat, like pure, blinding light. It felt familiar, but he couldn't quite place whose chakra it belonged to. He didn't dwell on it too much, knowing that he would eventually meet the person, considering they were on the path to his house. As the chakra grew nearer, he arrived at a clearing where a boy his age, with unkempt black hair, was practicing shurikenjutsu in the standard Uchiha outfit. Haruki instantly recognized him and began pondering whether this encounter was planned, considering the boy should have been an Anbu member by now.

With grace, the Uchiha boy allowed himself to fall from the tree trunk, executing a summersault jump and landing just in front of Haruki. He looked at the Uchiha with a deadpan, unimpressed expression. Shisui turned red with embarrassment, truly an extra king. "Hello there," the circus boy greeted shyly. Haruki said nothing, simply staring at him. Shisui grew even redder by the second. "My name is Shisui," he tried to introduce himself. Haruki raised an eyebrow, and Shisui seemed relieved that he had finally reacted, though his relief would soon turn to disappointment. "My sensei told me not to talk to strangers," Haruki calmly stated, his tone even and calm. Shisui's eye twitched painfully, and Haruki had to bite his lip to suppress a laugh. The Uchiha's eye widened, focusing on Haruki's lip bite, prompting him to quickly let go.

"Saint-sama, it's an honor to finally meet you," Shisui shyly coughed, politely redirecting the conversation as if he hadn't just been thoroughly teased. "It's nice to meet you too, Shisui of the Body Flicker. I'm Haruki," he politely smiled. Shisui's face instantly brightened. "You're far away from the Uchiha compound," his joy instantly faded. He coughed a few times, still trying to hide his embarrassment. "The clearing here is perfect for training," he explained, his face turning slightly red. Haruki knew he was lying, but he nodded along as Shisui's chakra flickered nervously. "Are you going back home?" Shisui asked, sounding a shade deeper, his face growing even redder. Haruki couldn't help but think, What are you, a perv? Why would you even know where I live? Kami, Anbu are so annoying.

"Yes, I have a night shift in a few hours," Haruki calmly smiled as he continued walking. Shisui nodded several times. "H-How about I accompany you?" Shisui's face turned an even deeper shade. "It can be quite dangerous since it's getting late," he tried to convince himself more than Haruki. "In Konoha?" Haruki teased. Shisui flinched. "There are people with bad intentions everywhere," he tried to justify his concern. Haruki hummed as they peacefully walked side by side. Shisui's chakra seemed nervous, indicating he needed more Anbu training for Kami's sake.

Hoping to shift gears, Shisui clumsily pivoted the conversation. "So, uh...do you prefer kunai or shuriken?"

Haruki paused for a moment, crossing his arms and studying the earnest Uchiha. "Is that code for something else?" His words held a playful tone, but Shisui panicked, his face paling considerably.

"No, no! I mean for training! For practicing jutsu!" Shisui rapidly clarified, his hands flying in animated distress. The corners of Haruki's mouth twitched upwards as he watched Shisui's display of pure, undiluted panic.

"Alright, I'll bite. I prefer kunai. They're more versatile. But honestly, I'm more of a sword kind of guy," Haruki finally answered, observing as Shisui visibly relaxed, a clear hint of relief on his face.

"That's great! I mean, uh...good to know," Shisui stuttered, scratching the back of his head, desperately trying to appear nonchalant. "I use a sword too," he murmured softly, his words barely audible. His effort was somewhat undermined by the bashful blush that now permanently adorned his face.

It was Haruki's turn to smirk, unaware of the subtle web of affection Shisui was inadvertently weaving. In Haruki's eyes, he was merely indulging an overzealous Anbu spy with a unique cover story. The comedic element in their exchanges, however, made each encounter entertainingly memorable. As they continued their unlikely dialogue, the training field rang out with the sounds of their awkward yet oddly charming conversation.

Finally, they arrived at Haruki's house, and he could sense Tsunade-sensei's presence observing them. Shisui appeared disappointed, clearly needing to work on his poker face, that Mr. Anbu. "We're here," Shisui's voice came out weakly. "Yeah, thank you for walking me back home, Shisui-kun," Haruki said, his spirits momentarily brightening as he wondered if the Anbu had successfully completed his mission. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage. "I-I'll see you around, Ha-Haruki-kun," Shisui stuttered. Haruki looked at the Uchiha with a questioning expression before nodding. "Have a good evening, Shisui-kun. See you around," he replied, though he wondered if the Anbu was still planning to 'coincidentally' meet him in the future. What a drag… Shisui waved back with a goofy smile.

As he entered the house, Tsunade-sensei looked at him with an expression he had never seen before. It felt like she was analyzing him in disbelief, as if he had done something completely wrong. "What?" he asked, annoyed by the look she was giving him. "An Uchiha?" she asked curiously. Her student 'patiently' answered, "Isn't he an Anbu? Probably a spy for the Third Hokage, trying to gather whatever information he can on me." Her face turned dumbfounded. He added, "He kept asking me weird questions, like 'kunai or shuriken.'" Haruki was so over the whole thing. "Wait," he realized, "you don't actually hate the Uchiha like your granduncle, right?" he quickly asked.

Tsunade just looked at him like he was an idiot. Dude, I'm your disciple. If I'm an idiot, what does that make you, sensei? "No. In fact, it's kinda cute," she mused teasingly. "Are you drunk?" he deadpanned. She just hummed and walked away. "At least he's strong," she continued. Haruki was more confused than ever by the bizarre day he was having. People were so freaking weird.