archiveofourown org /works/ 45730315 /chapters /116518231 #workskin
Chapter 5: Naruto: Center Stage
Summary:
Age 11, 6th month of Academy year 1.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"-and that class is why the Nidaime Hokage's, Tobirama Senju, created the civilian council within Konohagakure." I felt like slamming my head on my desk. So much history, and math, and basic both stuff. I spent 3 months getting smacked around so I could learn to fight and here I've barely gotten to use any of my chakra.
"Uzukami, you don't seem to be paying much attention. Who created the three man cell we know today." I couldn't help myself, throwing myself back with a heavy sigh as I almost tipped the chair over.
"C'mon Sensei, everyone knows that style didn't become popular until the Third Shinobi war underneath the Third Hokage." He stumbled over his words for a moment, and I could hear everyone laugh a bit. No one really ever expects me to know this stuff.
"That, er, yes that is correct. Does anyone else know why such a style became the go-to choice for all Shinobi nations?" I could hear chairs scraping, desks creaking as different kids raised their hands to be called on. Their answers usually fell somewhere of either being easier to control in 3 man cells or just the fact that Konoha could do no wrong.
"The three Sanin, right sensei?" I sat up a bit, taking my feet off the desk as I turned to the voice.
"Correct Haruno, the Sanin was a three man cell that was training underneath the Third Hokage before his ascension to the title of Hokage. Their battle against Hanzo, the leader of Rain country, was legendary and a major turning point in the war resulting in three man cells becoming much more prevalent. This will be coming on the test." Pencils skidded along pages, I didn't even bother getting a notebook. I could feel her looking at me now, and I recognized that gaze. I'd been feeling someone watching me since the academy started, and I'd finally gotten a name to the stare.
The bell rang, releasing us from civilian style learning, and no one really bothered to listen to the teacher calling out about homework. I was out of my chair the moment it started, trying to work my way towards her. When I first started the academy, I broke in before we had our first class and memorized the layout of the room. These desks are quite literally built into the floor, and the chairs aren't particularly heavy so I could easily kick them to the side. I think it understandable that I wasn't expecting my foot to catch something metal and to go down hard, my shoulder clipping a desk and going numb. All followed by several curses of course, I felt someone grabbing my non-injured arm and heaving me up.
"Oh God, are you alright? Here I'll help you to the nurse's office." My head jerked up at her voice, and the steel tight grip on my arm.
"Oh, uh n-no i-" I didn't get to finish my run excuse as she was already moving me expertly through the desks and out the classroom. I was stumbling a bit as she's taller than me by almost a head probably, but even with that I knew we weren't going to the nurse's office.
"So my name is Sakura. How about you? Stairs by the way." I would've fallen again if she hadn't been supporting me, scrambling with my boots to find support on the smooth wooden stairs.
"I'm, uh, Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, where are you.." she didn't bother to answer and I just kind of trailed off. She smelled like cherries, and the oil we coat our weapons in. I can feel the grainy substance of it on her hands and under her nails.
"Hey, Haruno, I'm losing feeling in both arms now so if you could like… ease up a touch." She did not in fact ease up, rather instead jerking us to a stop.
"Both.. oh my god!" Her voice had a tinge of hysteria, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"Oh relax, I hit it wrong and something cracked. It just needs splinting for a day or 2." She finally lets go, her shoes thumping on the ground. At a guess she's wearing boots like me.
"Are, are you sure? Like, I can actually take you to the nurs-" I just shake my head, tucking the arm close to me as I continue heading up the stairs.
"You seem smart, so while we're doing whatever you dragged me off for you can splint my arm." She didn't follow me at first, before I finally heard her come barreling up the stairs and blowing past me.
"Alright, let's meet on the roof then." I give a grin, my good arm pumping as we race. 4 flights of stairs later we were both hot and sweaty, gasping for breath. I won of course, always did have an ungodly ability to just keep going even when I felt like keeling over. We just kinda stood there for a few minutes, I leaned up against the ledge letting the wind rustle through my hair. I felt her take my arm, setting it against a bit of wood and tying it tight with fabric of some kind.
"So," I tilt my head up, looking right at her voice "you're blind aren't you?" I just kind of blink for a moment. She doesn't quite sound accusatory, more self assured that she's right.
"What makes you say that?" She gives a snort, which turns into a small chuckle.
"You didn't see the ninja wire I put in your way, haven't commented on my hair color, and no reaction to flipping you the bird." I balk a bit, feeling the tips of my ear grow red. Whether it's from embarrassment or anger I would never know.
"I-well. Uh, so what? Doesn't matter!" I give her a shove, not even flinching as pain shoots up my arm.
"Wasn't meant to be an insult of any kind. It's a fact, wanna know another?" Her voice is still friendly sounding, I can hear her boots scrabble on loose stones as she regains her footing. My teeth grit as I lean forward and lower my center of balance.
"And what's that?"
"You'll need someone you can trust unconditionally on your team." I freeze, not even breathing for a moment. Of all the things I'd been expecting from this moment it wasn't this. Blackmail, humiliation, and bullying sure.
"What… why would you-?" My words fall short, a rushing sound in my ears as I reach back trying to grab onto the ledge to ground me.
"Because you're smart, easily enough to pass the civilian portion of classes. You're strong enough to get decent grades in spars and chakra training. If we start working together now, our chances of getting on a team together get like…. Way higher probably." My eyes narrow, probably do that glowing thing they do. I can almost feel her shiver underneath their gaze.
"My name is Naruto, I am a blind Shinobi and my dream is to become ANBU commander one day." She does that little snort laugh again, before it builds into an actual laugh.
"My name is Sakura, I'm a kunoichi because I don't have a choice. I don't think I have a dream yet." There's a heavy moment of silence in the air as we just kind of stand there. The bell rings, symbolizing the end of lunch but neither of us budge an inch. "My uh, hand is out for a handshake." I throw my head back and laugh as I take it. Her grip is firm and hands calloused.
"Let's fight together then, back to class?" There's a little squeak sound as she starts pulling me along. Our trip down is quick and fast, almost falling down the stairs more than running at one point.
"Uzumaki, what happened to your arm?" We both froze, having just hit the second floor landing. I don't recognize the voice, but he doesn't sound mean.
"He tripped and clipped the desk, spraining his shoulder Umino Sensei." He gives a hum, stepping over to us. The sound of pen on paper sounding shortly before paper being torn.
"A note so the two of you don't get in trouble. Now get to class, today is chakra training for first years." His sandals sound on the floor, but they don't sound like the rest of the Chunin. My head turns to track him, my face turning into a nightmarish grin as it does so.
"What's that creepy smile for?" I frown, whipping my head back around.
"My smiles aren't that creepy are they?" I could feel her hesitance even as she continued to pull me along.
"They're kinda creepy with the way they kinda glow, C'mon we're gonna miss class." Rush back down to the first floor and we make it to the training yard in time to see everyone lined up next to the sparring ring. Sensei was doing a headcount before she finally caught sight of us.
"Uzumaki, Haruno, where were the two of you?" I shifted forward before I had even thought about it, placing myself between her and the teacher.
"I was taking Naruto to the Nurse's office, here's a note from Umino-Sensei." I hear the footfalls, the angry huff as she snatches the paper from Sakura. The background whispers that Sakura used my first name, people are surprised.
"I suppose this checks out… Uzumaki, get in the ring." I nod, moving before a protest can even be raised. The wind, the crowd, even Sensei's voice all fade to a dull roar. Those aren't important anymore, what is important is the opponent in Front of me. His heart is beating fast, shuffling side to side as though eager to get to the good part where he's already won.
"Both opponents bow, and take your stances." I don't bow, the whispers increase but I just can't bring myself to give a damn. So much prep time, knowing where our opponents are makes this fight a joke. At least it would've been if I hadn't forgotten an important little detail. My arm was still completely numb, my defense was in shambles and he took ruthless advantage of it.
I attempted to block with the splinted arm only to not have the range of motion needed. His fist found plenty of purchase on my face as a result, my teeth bashing together and a ringing sound in one ear. A second fist this time to my stomach, a third, fourth, fifth. I stopped counting after that, instead using my good arm to protect my face as I gave ground. He wasn't missing now, instead the punches that felt like grown adults were now feeling like a kid our age would do. I had to wait for a mistake, people always make them.
He tried for a snap kick to my face, he succeeded of course catching me on the jaw and would've sent me stumbling if I was a bitch. I grabbed him by the ankle forcing him to keep the leg up high, I spat the blood and spit that the kick had filled my mouth with right into his face and heard him cry out. Applying a bit of upward pressure on the leg and forward momentum made him go crashing backwards, now I was forcing him to do the splits as I had the other leg trapped under my legs. I ignored the pain shooting up my arm, using the splinted numb arm as a club and hammered down onto his face and chest.
"I give-I GIVE" I felt hands pulling me off of him before I even had the chance to try and get off him. I stumbled as I was shoved away, before a familiar scent caught me before I could collapse.
"He's missing some teeth now, you alright?" I'm heaving my breath in as I shake my head. My chest feels like it's on fire and the pain only felt like it was spreading. She hooks her arms under my shoulders, half carrying and half dragging me away from the scene of the spar.
"He was 2 years ahead of us, a-and he-" I dug my heels into the ground, stopping us with a jerk. Using her shoulder as a brace I heaved myself more to my feet.
"Help me stand." I could feel her staring at me in shock, not quite comprehending but supporting me regardless.
"You shouldn't be moving like this, your ribs might be cracked, something could be wrong with your neck!" I give a shrug, slinging my good arm over her shoulder as we start walking again.
"Nothing's broken, I know broken. Sensei made sure of that. Just uh, help me to the nurse's office." I can feel her nod a bit.
"You uh, don't mind me using your first name do you?" I shake my head, turning it to spit more blood as well as a tooth I think.
"Long as you don't mind me using yours." My bad arm reaches up, tugging at my jacket collar before fumbling with the zipper. "Fuck I feel like I'm boiling in this thing!" She gives a grunt, before a gasp.
"Naruto, you're literally steaming. Here, sit down." I feel my back press against a wall, the wood shockingly cool as Sakura removes my jacket. Her hands feel like blocks of ice on my face, and I realized I can hear sizzling. Y'know the kind, when you put bacon in the pan. It took me a moment to realize she was pouring water on me and that it was practically evaporating on the spot, but man am I feeling better. My arm doesn't hurt and I can feel it again, the burning in my chest fading.
"I uh, I actually feel a lot better now." She drops the now empty canteen in my lap, slumping down beside me.
"We'll give you another minute or two before we continue on to the nurse's office… you left a scorch mark on the wall." I snicker a bit, rapping my knuckle against the wooden structure. I can hear Sakura gasp, and choose a direction at random.
"Hello Bird-Sensei." He chuckled a bit, which told me I looked in the wrong direction and corrected myself quickly.
"I'm here to help you to the hospital, and then to the Hokage." I nod a bit, having half expected it. Heaving, first, myself up by using Sakura's shoulder as a support and then pulling her up after me.
"Can I bring my friend with me?" I heard the wood panels creak as he shifts his weight, Sakura still seeming in this almost stunned state.
"She'll have to wait outside whilst you meet the Hokage." I nod, and can feel the muscles in her shoulder moving as she nods as well. I hardly have time to breathe before I feel his hand grip my shoulder like a vice and I feel like I'm a sock being whipped around in the dryer for a few seconds. The body flicker isn't a fancy technique, but makes up for it for being brutally efficient in the fact that a Ninja basically over clocks their chakra coils for a few seconds to achieve a speed normally considered impossible. The first thing I recognize is the smell of antiseptic before I'm suddenly drowning in medical officials and hustled off to a bed. I can hear Sakura dry heaving where we were standing, Bird-Sensei doing their best to comfort her.
"Alright Uzumaki, we're going to have to go through a few tests to figure out what happened to jump your already faster than average healing to an extreme." And so that's exactly what happened. I had to have my oxygen measured, my pupils dilated, blood tests, and a few quizzes I had to answer for them. At some point Sakura was able to join me. During the third blood drawing I felt a sharp jab to the side from a pair of fingers.
"How the fuck do you know THE Hokage?" Her voice was a hushed whisper and I shrugged a bit.
"I've always known the old man, he pays for my apartment and gives me money." She splutters a bit, clearly trying to draw a logical conclusion.
[Course we wouldn't actually find out why the old man always took care of me for a couple years. Heh.]
"Haruno, if you'll come with me please so that the Hokage and Uzumaki can speak." She stands with an almost robotic jerkiness, probably bowing to the old man. He's not smoking today, but the tobacco still lingers about him like a second shadow. I wait until the door clicks shut and all that's left is us and the heart monitor I'm hooked up too.
"So, doctors know the fuck happened?" He gives a laugh, his footsteps intentionally loud enough I can track them as he takes a drag in the visitors chair.
"Not quite, the current leading theory though is that you've unlocked the Uzumaki Bloodline." I let that roll around in my brain for a minute or so.
"You mean-?" I let myself trail off, wanting him to fill in the gaps. The chair creaks as he leans back.
"You were born to Uzumaki Kushina, part of a… exchange program we were trying with our old ally Uzushiogakure no Sato. The village and almost all inhabitants-"
"Died shortly after the third Shinobi war from a combined siege of Stone, Lightning, and the Traitor Orochimaru. Konoha arrived hours too late to stop the massacre." There was silence in the room, not many would dare to interrupt the old man. He gives a heavy sigh.
"I didn't tell you… I could say so many reasons for not telling you, Naruto. I didn't want you targeted, or to grow a big head because you had a clan. I suppose the real reason was because I didn't want that burden on your shoulders, especially after you were blinded." I didn't answer, only nodding and trying to choke back the tears.
"Did she…" I felt myself breaking down, and had to hold it together.
"Yes, she knew that with her medical complications giving birth to you could kill her. The fox attacking that day only sealed it in stone." The chair scraped against the ground, and I can feel the bed dip under his right as he sits beside me.
"I can't make this better Naruto, I ask you to tell no one until you graduate. Even then only tell your team."
"Fine, but if Sakura sticks around. Really wants to be my friend, then I'm telling her." He sighs a bit, pulling me into a hug.
"Alright, I suppose that will be the best I can get from you. Rest, the doctors are planning on putting you through the ringer to find out how much of the Uzumaki Bloodline you've unlocked." I laid back on the bed, the door opening and the padding of boots on tile reassuring me that Sakura hadn't left. I felt my eyes grow heavy and cloudy, as red and black mixed and formed what I'd later learn was the Uzumaki Swirl.
Notes:
Hey, breaking 300 hits and a few more Kudos. Makes me very happy to see, especially in such a short amount of time. Hope people continue to enjoy, and hell. This is honestly teaching me a lot about writing and how to handle certain pieces of characters. I'm honestly considering writing an actual book after this story is all done, so look forward to that... maybe.. probably... we'll find out together lol.