Just something I felt like writing.
No real plan, it kinda just ended up like this, if people want I'll expand a little.
I always feel hesitant when returning to this fandom. I remember the important parts but I kinda feel like I have to binge the entire series, like this doesn't follow canon entirely or the filler. Might just watch the whole series in spanish or watch the Ocean Cut(someone edited all of Naruto for an easier time to binge and edited the ending of the series to a non-canon ending but still enjoyable). Another thing that sorta added to my hesitation was that it felt like I had to "fix stuff" instead of just enjoying it, like I had to justify everything. I think it might've also just been me burning out from the fandom since every writing ideas I had was about Naruto, as in it couldn't exist unless it involved Naruto. Then there was the fact that I like to follow ripples and watch it deviate from the rest of the series, and I end up planning an entire series in my mind when all I really had the energy for was a oneshot. Then the whole AI boom got me in bad spot mentally, but I got help, I'm working through it, and this (as well as solarpunk) is part of it. After expanding my reading materials and exploring other fandom, and being honest with myself, I feel better returning to writing and this fandom. Really mental health was something I used to laugh at, it really feels silly until it's you.
Gonna try to get more people to like this ship, and I hope everyone enjoys this~
I don't own Naruto, please support the official release
let me know what you liked and didn't like from this, remember, reviews and comments are our bread and butter! FEED US!
"Star oh star, where have you gone?" she whispered.
Darkness had laid claim to the sky above Konoha, but the village was far from hidden. Orange, yellow, red, blue, and even green, their light splashed on the black canvas of night, and yet there was not a star in sight.
It was something she hadn't seen in the land of waterfalls. Even the most "modern" village in her land of birth was still pretty rustic when compared to the least modern village in the land of fire, let alone Konoha. They got plenty of stuff, for sure, but they weren't anything like Konoha.
When she thought of home, what she recalled were the wooden groans and creaks of waterwheels that made various tasks for people easier. Grinding grain, crafting, sawing, sewing, and even pumping water out of mines. The latter were huge and very impressive. And the nights, those beautiful star-filled nights, were kept at bay by the orange glow of candles, torches, and firepits. The very definition of rustic.
Nothing like Konoha.
Konoha was filled with various gadgets and gizmos, of pipes and wires everywhere, it was a bit of culture shock. Even now she still wasn't used to it. Electrical fridges, cinema, microwaves, even the radio was a marvel to her. She was over the moon the first time she saw them, even learning how they worked still went over her excited mind. How long would it take for their novelty to wear off-or so she wondered. Soon-she hoped; she didn't want to be laughed at for marveling at a fridge filled with soft drinks again. Or worse, give people another reason to keep their distance from her.
Word got around before she even got there of who…of what she was. Everyone was cool the first time she was there for the exams, and making friends, while not quite that easy, wasn't so difficult. Now though, everyone seemed to have mixed thoughts, most opting to keep their distance. So when she wasn't with one of her guides, she often found herself alone. Like now.
She saw it all from where she sat on top of a Hokage's head. On an impulse, she cupped a few lights with her thumb and forefinger. She'd pretend she could pluck each light like a tiny jewel. Pretty little lights, but they were nothing like the sea of twinkles that blanketed the night sky. The same ones she saw every night at home. Here though, the electric glow scared them away. Only the moon remained.
Recently she heard rumors that Shibuki might be able to get the various wheels to generate electricity, not just for Taki but for the surrounding villages in the land of waterfalls as well. That made her wonder about the future of her home. A lot of the tech were wonders for sure, but it also made her uneasy. If she ever returned, would there be wires and pipes above her head? Would wires encircle the giant tree? Would the nights eventually look the same as Konoha, devoid of stars? She couldn't say. She really didn't know what to think.
"Quite a view huh?"
She flinched at the voice, she angled her upper body to see a guy standing behind her.
"Ah, my bad, didn't mean to startle ya," he said apologetically.
"Yeah, it's…it's impressive," she said politely, turning back to look at Konoha.
"Not sold on it, huh?"
She said nothing, she didn't even look at him.
"I don't blame ya, it's preused and it's all sorts of messy," he said.
She cracked a small smile.
"It's your home, Naruto," she said.
Naruto shrugged as he stood beside her. He slowly eased himself onto the edge.
"Yeah, see, I clearly wasn't responsible with it," Naruto chuckled. "Not a street I haven't vandalized, heck, I even put graffiti on the faces we're on," he bragged.
"Seriously? How'd you get away with that?" She asked with small amazement.
"I didn't," he admitted with a shrug. "Everyone knew it was me. I wanted everyone to know it was me. Did try to get out of being punished, but I got caught by Iruka-sensei. He made me clean all the faces…after school…after a pop quiz!"
She giggled.
"He's a great teacher," she said. She spent time around Iruka to be more tech-literate with some everyday items in the village. He was super patient and kind. He even helped her with gaps in her shinobi training as well, and the gaps in her general knowledge. He was by far the best teacher she ever had.
"The greatest, Fuu," Naruto said. "Out of everyone who tried, he's the only one that believed in me all the way when there was no reason to…even when he shouldn't have. I let him down about…" Naruto brought his hands up and started counting his fingers only to huff and fall on his back, "so many times. Failed just about every test he gave me."
"Really?" Fuu asked in surprise. That was a shock to her. She had seen the two together, basically brothers in her eyes. It was hard to believe he wouldn't bend the rules a bit for Naruto. She'd seen it done plenty of times back home.
"Yeah, and he'd go the extra mile too." Naruto said as he sat up right again. "He'd stay after school with me, try to make sure everything he taught us stayed in my head. But everything he poured in fell out just as fast, if it even got in at all." Naruto mimed something flowing out of his head with his hands, Fuu giggled. "Looking back on it now, he really did his best with me…but I was too busy goofin' off, being a clown and a prankster. I was an asshole."
"Some still say you are," she pointed out with a sly smile.
"Course they do, they're super jelly of me."
Fuu only smiled and shook her head. She learned early on that the guy liked to brag. He was as dumb as they come, but had his heart in the right place. His teammates and friends definitely ribbed and teased him, but only a scant few outright denied his claims.
"Still, he must've done something right. You got the leaf on your head," she pointed out.
Naruto nodded with an awkward smile.
"See those woods there," Naruto pointed into the distance.
"Yeah, trained there a bit," Fuu answered.
"Ah, did ya see the shack?"
"Yeah, hid from the rain there."
"Well, my last exam to be a shinobi, I…I failed. I even got more tries than I deserved but-I failed. Hard. Myyyyyyy…" Naruto began but trailed off before he shook his head and continued, "this-this other guy training us, he acted nice and told me there was a secret way to graduate."
"Uh oh."
"Uh oh," Naruto repeated. "Friggin' asshole had me sneak into gramp's office. Um, Granny Tsunade's office now. He told me to steal the forbidden scroll, that all I needed to do was learn a single technique on it. If I did that, then boom, I'm a real shinobi."
"Tsunade's offi…wait," Fuu said as she slowly digested what Naruto said. "You mean…he actually had you break into the Hokage's office to steal something that's basically a national treasure, and you believed him?" She asked.
Naruto threw his hands up in defense with a small shrug of his shoulders.
"Seriously?" She didn't know if she should be shocked or amazed.
"I was desperate and I didn't have a reason NOT to trust him. He was about as nice as Iruka-sensei. Or pretended to be. So, anyway, after I stole it-"
"You actually stole it?!"
"I went to the forest, hid in that shack. Took me most of the night but I learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Honestly, it was both the hardest and easiest jutsu I've ever had to learn."
"Those don't go together."
"I'm just telling it like it was."
"Still, I mean…you couldn't pass the Shinobi exam, but you could break into the Hokage's office and steal something valuable?"
"Hey, never underestimate how desperate a guy can get…or how vulnerable single guys are to henges." He muttered that last part.
"Sorry, what was that last part?"
"So anyway, Iruka-sensi found me, and like a dumbass I was grinning ear to ear 'cause I thought I passed…only for that lying asshole to attack both me and Iruka-sensei."
"Iruka and I," Fuu corrected.
"No me. Then me kicked his ass with that jutsu I learned, I even saved Iruka-sensei in the process. After he took a…giant shuriken to the back for me, and pretended to be me since the guy had it out for me. After all that, he gave me this," Naruto tapped his forehead protector. "He was bloody and beaten to hell, but he still had the strength take this off and tie it to me. Now me is here."
"Sounds like you got lucky it all turned out okay."
Naruto scoffed.
"Ch-yeah, 'cording to everyone, everyday I'm breathing I'm lucky, ya know. Not this though." Naruto said before rasping his forehead protector with his fist, "this is mine, I earned this, dattebayo. No luck, no fate, just a couple assholes being dumb, ya hear."
Fuu smiled just barely able to contain a small laugh as she shook her head in disbelief.
"How about you?"
Fuu shrugged, bobbed her head from side to side.
"I was trained," she began, "then I was suddenly told I was a shinobi. That's it."
Naruto nodded before he finally processed what she said.
"...Wait what!?"
Fuu laughed at his reaction.
"Yeah," she laughed. "I had a few tutors. As, well, Taki's one and only stick against you bigger hidden villages, I was never gonna fail being a shinobi. They couldn't really afford that. It's funny seeing them work, ya know. They didn't want me, but they needed me, ssu. I did feel bad for our Kages, but seeing my tutors get so frustrated just put a smile on my face, ya know. That said, I'm not smart or gifted so it took a lot of boring repetition to get anywhere, but I had the bug in me, so they leaned in on that. Then one day, they just gave me a metal plate with our symbol and said I was legit, ya know."
"Huh," Naruto said, "Wait so, no test or anything?"
"Beats me," Fuu shrugged, "they could've just, ya know, done something when I wasn't paying attention. But there was nothing showy or formal."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. One day, I wasn't 'concentrating' hard enough," she said with air quotes. "I was 'acting out' too much, I wasn't being a 'proper' vessel, that I ain't lady-like, yada yada. Then the next day, I'm suddenly a legit shinobi, slap a metal plate with our symbols in my hands, and tell me my first mission was to ambush litter bugs dumping crap by the falls. Not gonna lie, that was fun. I jumped out, used a jutsu to make everything super bright, and everyone crapped their pants, ssu!"
"...Okay that sounds awesome," Naruto admitted. "My first mission was tearing weeds from an old lady's garden, and it turns out I pulled the actual flowers out! Yours sounds like it was funner than mine," Naruto whined.
"It was! It was! Ssu!" Fuu said excitedly. "Things were boring at times, but there was awesome times too! I could fly pretty much anywhere, I could hang out at different waterfalls, eat whatever I catch from the river, grab any fruit I find, pull a prank or three, there's…so much…I…I…."
Whatever steam perked her up died down. It surprised her how freely that flowed out. And the realization that she-
"You want to go home." Naruto said with a sad smile.
That caught her off guard. She never vocalized it, or acknowledged it to herself. But when Naruto said that. She didn't know what to say at that moment. She caught Naruto nodding and turned to look out to the village.
"I was home sick too, back when I was with pervy sage for a few years. " Naruto began, "We were traveling, training, going here and there for seemingly no reason. Part of me thought it was better than being in this crummy village. At times it was. But there were a lot of things I missed. My apartment, my bed, my favorite ramen spot, and a lot of people too. Stuff I was used to seeing every day, ya know? And when I finally got back home after such a long time, I climbed a pole and shouted I was back as loud as I could. I missed home and I was glad to be back. I think everyone does at some point, so I don't think it's anything bad to say."
"I…yeah. I miss it," Fuu admitted, "I miss home. I miss it a lot. When I was there, all I could think about was leaving. I wanted to go as far as I could, try new things, make new friends, explore my surroundings, and have fun! And now…now I want to go back. I want to go home, but I dunno if home will still be the same when I do, ssu."
Naruto nodded as he listened. He frowned.
"Sorry, I-"
"Don't be, it's not your fault," Fuu said, cutting him off. She blew a huge raspberry and blinked a lot, trying to get her watery eyes to stop before something leaked.
She laid down on her back, her legs basically hanging off a cliff, and stared up at the night sky devoid of stars..
"It's those guys, the Akatsuki, it's their freakin' fault." Fuu Said. "Taki can't risk keeping me wit' them around, and who knows what that old fart told them. Not to mention Suna couldn't stop two of 'em, then what can Taki do, especially when they might have that guy on their side? Shibuki said this was the best option. A fair trade. Everyone wins. Everyone." Though she said it, it didn't sound like she believed it.
"I'm sorry anyway, dattebayo." Naruto said looking away.
"..thank you, ssu," Fuu said.
She took a deep breath and looked out to the sky, slightly away from Naruto. She tried to quietly sniffle as she wiped stray tears as fast as they appeared, hopefully before the blond beside her noticed.
If he did, he didn't voice it.
"It is a nice village, but a lot of it has me on edge and I just…I really wish I could at least fly around. They said it messed with something important to the village. So, I just feel like I'm, I'm, I'm…."
"Stuck in a cage," Naruto offered.
"Yeah, exactly! I wasn't here long the first time around so I didn't really get to experience much. But actually living here, it's like my brain's upside down. Everything normal I did back home is wrong here. Don't do this, don't do that, get permission for this first, it's like being me is a crime, ya know. It's so smothering, ssu!"
Naruto sighed at that.
"Boy do I get that…I really do, dattebayo," Naruto said as he continued staring out to the village.
While lying on her back, she angled her head to look at Naruto. She was able to catch a complicated expression on his face, one she couldn't quite read.
Everyone who didn't already know her was cautious around her, like walking around an explosive tag that didn't blow. Everyone but Naruto. The guy was such a candid goofball, it was hard to take him seriously or even be mad at him for too long(or it helped people stay mad at him longer, it was a coin toss). Their first meeting was far from normal and somehow ended up as a brawl with everyone in their small group of friends. It was hilarious!
The people she met and talked to a lot were okay with him, but there were definitely people who gave him the stink eye. Not only that, but when he acted as her guide, people gave them a wider berth than before, mostly the older folk. People avoided her for sure, but it was worse with Naruto, which was weird.
People who knew him and were on good terms with Naruto lost whatever reservation they had about her and interacted with her nicely. It was thanks to him that she met Iruka-sensei, and why, among all of Konoha, she frequented a ramen restaurant the most. The owner was very kind and easy to talk to, and his daughter was the same. It had become a little place where she could relax without fear or worry. She also got into spars with Naruto's "minions", a squad of genin the Blond dotes on but never takes advantage of.
It made her wonder why such an okay guy, even to the point that Shibuki praised him, just why did so many people have something against him? She asked a few people, mainly in their friends group and they all pointed to his past actions of colorful vandalism and vicious pranks. But…was that really enough? Maybe Konoha folk were built differently? Capable of nursing a grudge for a very long time.
"Hey," Naruto suddenly said breaking Fuu out of her thoughts
"Hm?"
"If you got time to kill, wanna go to the park?"
She blinked at that.
"Huh? Like right now?"
"Yeah," Naruto said as he stood up and dusted himself off. "If y'er tired I get it, but I think ya might like it."
Fuu was silent as she considered his words. Then she let out a wicked smirk.
"...Only if you buy me dinner afterwards."
"Geh," Naruto flinched at that. He pulled out his wallet designed like a frog and looked inside. She could swear he was paler than the moon.
She silently snickered. An old prank of hers that found new life in Konoha. Turns out that in addition to being a ramen addict, the guy was irresponsible with his purchases. She didn't know the whole story, but the guy was not the best with money and for some reason he went out of his way to be nice to her. It's an easy way to tease him.
"D-don't suppose you can take a raincheck on that, dattebayo," Naruto said meekly.
"NEWP!" Fuu said loudly, letting the P really pop. She sat up. "Tell you what, I'll spot ya this time, and next time you buy me dinner AND pay me back, Ssu~" Fuu gloated as she pulled out a waterfall shaped coin purse.
She opened it and peered inside…her orange eyes bugged out to the size of dinner plates.
She was no better than Naruto in regards to handling money.
Though to be fair, it was only after moving to Konoha that she actually had to be responsible for her own money and expenses. Back home the previous kage had people do that for her, not trusting her to keep a roof over her head and being too scatterbrain to handle groceries and other expenses, and Shibuki kept it going. Plus a few fake hopefuls that thought they had her fooled made eating free a piece of cake.
Now that she had to be responsible for herself…. Though it was something that she was excited about when she moved to Konoha, she quickly found why it wasn't fun to balance a budget. Even with Iruka-sensei's help, she still had issues.
"Sssuuuuuuuuuu," she let out in despair as she looked at the little amount of change that remained in her wallet.
Naruto shuffled in place awkwardly, he really wasn't in any position to laugh or gloat.
"...wanna be broke in the park together?"
"...yeah."
"Mind if I ask you something?"
"Shoot," Naruto said.
The two shinobis took a back trail that was sparsely lit by lamps. That path led from the Hokage Head Monument to the lake. It was a well traveled path by the tributary that flowed into lake. Naruto was leading the way and Fuu was following close behind.
"Y'er part of a clan right, shouldn't your family have some massive savings or something?" Fuu asked.
"...Huh?" Naruto let out. He gave her the most confused look in the world. "Whadoya mean?"
"Huh?" Fuu let out, confused as well. "Well I mean, Uzumaki, you're part of that clan right? I never met a real member but I heard the old folk back home talk about them."
Naruto gave her a confused look before something visibly clicked.
"Oh, OH! No-no, it's just Konoha being weird." He fanned away before looking ahead.
"Weird how?"
"I'm not sure how it is in other villages, but here we kinda remember and honor our friends and stuff. What was it Iruka-sensei said about who the swirl belonged to again….Anywho, he told me about how the swirl on our gear is a sign of respect to one of Konoha's friends that's no longer around anymore. Names are a part of that and, well, they're not using their names anymore and it'd be a shame if it's gone, so they give those family names to orphans like me. I thought it was like dissing them, ya know? Even wrote that as an answer on the last exam I ever took. But noooo, it's the whole 'gone but not forgotten' thing. I asked when I heard about it, but it turns out real Uzumaki's have red hair," Naruto said while pinching a lock of blond hair.
"Oh…so you're…."
"Ah! Don't mind it, I guess it never came up." He didn't sound like he was upset, but Fuu couldn't see his face. It was possible that he was trying to hide it.
"I see, but you were never…."
"...Nah, no one wanted me. Too unruly and a bit of an idiot," Naruto said, he didn't sound happy nor sad, but again, she couldn't see his face.
"Sorry, I didn't-"
"Meh, don't sweat the heavy stuff, it was a long time ago. Plus, I'm surrounded by loads of people I care about now, so its whatever, ya know?" Naruto waved it off.
"I see," she said a bit solemnly and looked at the ground, "if it helps, I'm in a similar boat. No real parents, but I had plenty of people looking after me…."
"Hey now!"
"Huh?" She looked up to see Naruto smiling with his head resting on his arms as he walked backwards.
"I'm supposed to make ya feel better, not worse! Ya trying to make it more difficult on purpose, dattebayo~" he teasingly accused with an over exaggerated waggle of his index finger.
"Ah, Naruto-"
"Don't worry, I'm kidding," Naruto laughed, "I'm just poking fun, dattebayo!"
"Yeah, that I, no, Naruto-"
"Got ya for a sec there didn't-IIIIIIIII!"
Naruto fell backwards, he had walked right into a large rock that barely went up to his knees, but was big enough to trip him. Fuu tried to warn him, but she couldn't get a word in.
"Ah, are you…" Fuu quickened her steps to check on the blond, but Naruto seemed okay.
"Ow," Naruto groaned, he sat up with his butt on the ground and his legs between the rock. "I landed on my butt, but why did I feel it in my head?" he groaned out loud.
Fuu giggled after seeing that Naruto was okay.
She placed a leg on the rock between Naruto's leg and leaned on her knee.
"My bad," she said with a smile as she offered her hand, "didn't mean to make ya fall for me."
"Ha ha," Naruto let out mockingly, but he did smile. He took her hand and she stood up-pulling Naruto to his feet. "Feeling better?"
"Much " She admitted.
"That's great, only took falling for ya to do it?"
"Ha ha, funny, maybe you did it on purpose," she mockingly laughed back with a smile before playfully punching Naruto in the shoulder.
"What can I say, I go the extra mile," Naruto said as he continued walking while rubbing his arm.
"Bet Iruka-sensei would love to hear you say that about your studies," Fuu teased.
"Geh, he would," Naruto admitted with a sigh.
"A person who wants the hat has gotta be 'learn-ned' and all that, right?"
"Yeeeaaaaaah…" Naruto drawled out, clearly not liking the road ahead of him. "Whelp it's a good job it's future me's problem, the way further ahead future me, cause we're here," Naruto said when he noticed a set of stairs that led up to the park.
Fuu hadn't been to the park before, just seen it passing by, it's always so full during the day and she-
"C'mon, race ya!"
Naruto sprinted!
"Ah! Hey! No fair!" Fuu quickly chased after him.
It was a short race, but the two ran with everything they had for the short sprint.
"I won, dattebayo!" Naruto announced.
"We got here at the same time!" Fuu said, pointing at him. "And you cheated too, ssu! I would've won if we started at the same time!"
"I dunno, that sounds like an excuse, dattebayo~" Naruto teased.
"Grrr," Fuu growled. Then she noticed the park.
The park was dark, but the moonlight was enough to illuminate everything. And best of all, above the park, a set of twinkling lights
"The stars, you can see them," Fuu marveled.
"Yeah," Naruto said, surprising her. She just realized she said it out loud! She could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. If Naruto noticed, he didn't voice it.
"Growing up, the village would cut power randomly and only certain places stayed lit. Not enough power to go around, however that works. Still happens once in a while, and when it does you can see a whole lotta stars. But this place is by far the best spot."
"Oh yeah?" she asked.
"Yeah," Naruto shrugged. "When you grow up a troublemaker like me, and no one wants anything to do with ya, ya kinda explore, ya know."
"I know," Fu said as she walked up to the swing, took a seat, smiling as she looked up.
"Get a lot of stars back home?" Naruto asked as he sat beside her.
"Yup. A whole sea of 'em. There's a ton of rivers back home, but there's this mild one where the locals have boats folks can ride. It's a pretty lazy stream. During the day they add something to make the river narrower, makes the water run faster, at night they remove it for a lazy ride under the stars."
"Eh, sounds kinda boring," Naruto said while looking up at the sky. Fuu chortled and shook her head.
"Depends on the company." she said, "It's…enchanting, I think that's the word, magical in a way. You and a special someone on boat down stream, surrounded by a sky filled with stars…ones prettier than this."
"Ouch."
"I call it like I see it," she said with a smile, "and then, when, when you look in the water, or at it, the star are reflected. If you let yourself believe, it feels like you're on a magical ride among the stars."
"Huh, I guess that sounds cool. Did you go by yourself?"
A corner of her mouth fell as she shook her head from side to side.
"I mean I went at night a few times with a few boys," she said with less enthusiasm than before.
"Ah, were they…" Naruto trailed off but made grabbing motions with his hands.
Fuu closed her eyes and shook her head. It never happened and she was lucky enough to never experience unwanted advances, but it still wasn't a pleasant thing to imagine.
"They were perfect gentlemen, it's just, I was close to Shibuki and his dad, so…." She really wasn't sure how to expand on that. Thankfully, she didn't have to.
"Aaaaah….." Naruto said with a small nod. "Yeah Konohamaru had that issue when gramps was alive. Vultures and phony assholes who buttered up to ya cause of close ya 're to the guy who wears the hat."
"Yeah," she said with a frown, that quickly went upside down. "So I made them pay for it!" She said with a grin.
Naruto let out a wry chuckle as he eyed her.
"Wrung them dry didn't ya?" Naruto asked.
"Took 'em for everything they were worth, ssu!" Fuu said with a toothy grin, a wink, and a peace sign.
"I made 'em pay for everything and buy me stuff!"
She could remember how suave the guys acted! Guys of all builds, all of them radiating confidence as they asked her out. Then they slowly grew more and more antsy as the date progressed. They were practically ghosts by the time it was over! Especially when she extended the short 'coffee date' to hours.
"I even got a few repeats!"
"Wha-really?" Naruto asked in a surprised tone.
Fuu giggled before she hugged her body.
"A few thought they could make me 'theirs'~" she began in high pitched voice, hugging her body and rocking her body from side to side. "They thought they could tame the beast of a woman and be set for life~" her voice swooning in such an over the top and dramatic manner that even Naruto could pick up on it.
She stopped moving.
Then in a dry tone and a cruel smile she said: "I made each and every one of 'em regret it. A few more tried after that but they didn't waste their cash, so it was mostly boring, some of them repeats."
"...huh, really? I wonder why they kept trying."
"I think being 'me' helped," Fuu said as she pinched her top and pulled it out a bit. "Growing up, my care takers had me wear long, restrictive, frilly stuff or super outdated kimonos. Then I started wearing what I wanted, something I could actually move freely in. You know, actually be me. A lot of guys took it to mean I was easy and put out." She said, lifting a hand for Naruto to see. She put her thumb between her index and middle finger, a lewd gesture.
"Wow," Naruto said, a little shocked and amused, "guess that kinda explains why you go for our wallets."
"Sorry sorry, bad habit," Fuu apologized while rubbing the back of her head. "I'm still trying to kick the 'if they use me-I use them' mentality when you guys are nice to me. But maaaan, I didn't realize how warped my sense of money was 'til I had to pay for everything. Kinda made me miss being pampered, ya know? Besides if people don't say 'no'…" she trailed off.
"Yeah, about that, can you ease up a little on bushy brows," Naruto asked, "his teammates said he's starting to lose muscle mass from the lack of protein."
Fuu had the good sense to look embarrassed. Turns out Rock Lee was the easiest person she could get to buy her stuff. The guy has a hard time saying no, but he was fun to work out with!
"My bad, I'll pay him back when I fill my wallet up again," she said with flushed cheeks. She hasn't been able to do much, just chores around the village under supervision.
"And Kiba too; I've been on the receiving end of Akamaru's puppy eyes and whining, it's really hard not to give in."
"...Huh? Whadoya mean? Kiba's mom has been controlling his wallet since the first night I wiped him clean. Haven't done anything since."
"Huh?" Naruto let out in confusion, "then why was…"
Fuu could literally see the instance when his two brain cells smashed together as he figured out what was happening.
"Oh that friggin mutt! I gave him a lot of meat off my plate too, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted while grabbing his head.
"Ssssuu-uu-uu-uu-uu~" Fuu chuckled, it's not every day you see a dog out smart a guy.
While he was grumbling Fuu thought of her predicament a little.
"Hey Naruto, those two Akatsuki members that kidnapped Gaara, were they strong?"
Naruto paused at that. She didn't blame him, it did come outta of nowhere. He took a deep breath in and moved his hands from his head to the chains of the swing.
Surprisingly, he didn't reply right away. A sharp contrast to how the blonde usually acted out. Instead he actually took the time to think about his reply.
He tightly gripped the chains of the swing to the point that Fuu could hear his hands tightening.
"Worse," Naruto finally said, almost shamefully. Fuu was a bit surprised to hear that.
She really wasn't sure what to say, but Naruto continued on.
"Those guys…they were strong and could do stuff I didn't know was possible. Not just them, they had guys pulling stuff from a distance. We ran into Sasuke's-" he paused but shook his head. "-into an asshole. So did bushy brow's team. It turns out it was just people that were being possessed from a distance and could use their jutsus….I never knew that was a thing! Sakura, me, bushy brows and his team, Gaara and his brother…if our senseis weren't with us, if Granny Chiyo wasn't with us…." He didn't finish, but he didn't have to.
Fuu quietly digested the blond's honesty. And she didn't doubt this candidness either.
Nothing was said. They guy quietly sat on the swings as the wind rustled the leaves of the nearby trees. Fuu herself didn't say much. She only knows about Kakuzu, mostly because he was from her village, and it was a shock that he was still alive. And even some of the stuff they had on what the technique he stole could do was subject to criticism and speculation. No one old enough to remember actually knows the full extent of the technique, and that was someone they knew. The Akatsuki had more members with who know what other techniques there are.
She really wasn't sure how to process that.
"I'm going to get stronger." Naruto suddenly said as he stared out into the lake, "and I won't let them hurt my friends."
"...Ssu! Me too!" Fuu agreed with a smile, "I don't have many friends, so the ones I do have are precious to me."
"Then we're in the same boat," Naruto said with a more confident smile and reached out to her with a fist.
"I can fly though," she said with a toothy grin as she smashed her fist against his.
"I still want to see that," Naruto said with a smile.
"Maybe you can convince Tsunade to let me come with you guys next time you do a mission outside the village, I've been itchin' to fly like crazy! Just a mission out of the village would do me wonders, ssu~"
"Maybe next time. Pretty soon our team is gonna go check out a lead we got about our old teammate. Hopefully it pans out, dattebayo/"
"Isn't it just you and Sakura at the moment?"
"Yeah, but granny Tsunade said she had a few people in mind to join us. I kinda hope it's one of our friends. Everyone sorta understands what this means for us."
"I see. I gotta say I'm pretty jealous," Fuu admitted. "You all seem pretty close. You all grew up together, right? Childhood friends and all that."
Naruto laughed at that.
"Not really, no. We grew up together, but we weren't friends. Honestly I think they disliked me, dattebayo."
"Wha-really, ssu?" That shocked Fuu the most that night. They knew each other and we're close, you'd honestly think they were friends since birth!
"Well, no, I don't think Shikamaru really cared either way. Lazy ass probably thought it was too 'troublesome.' A lot of us got in trouble together, but it comes with being in the same class. Heck even Ino and Sakura butted heads a lot too! It wasn't until after the first time we all took the Chunin exams that we got close."
"I still can't believe it, what about your old teammate?"
"I hated him," Naruto laughed, which only confused Fuu, "that jerk always acted like he was better than everyone. So naturally it was up to me to put him in his place."
"But everyone who spoke about him said he was super talented, rookie of the year and…you admitted that you failed every test you took."
"Details," Naruto waved away.
"Still, I'd 've thought you guys were childhood friends from how much you and Sakura talk about him."
"We're rivals, or at least that's how I saw it. But, nah, I…" he paused for a bit as he stared at the sand beneath them. "I didn't really have friends my age growing up. Being a troublemaker has that effect on people. Bad influence and all that."
"I…sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down again," Fuu apologized.
"Nah, it wasn't you, it was the old me getting in trouble and making mayhem in the village. And old me got hit with karma. Current me is fine. I have friends and people I care about."
"Still…if it helps I didn't have childhood friends either. They were 'unnecessary distractions' and I was a walking jar for a demonic chakra bug that scared them anyway. I had a couple different things going against me." Fuu shrugged. Her caretakers were a bit draconian in that regard. Focusing more on having her trained than being a kid.
"You didn't either, huh…in that case.…"
Naruto got up from the swings.
"Hm?"
"Henge!"
Fuu blinked.
After a cloud of smoke appeared and dissipated, Naruto-a younger version of himself, stood in front of her.
He wore khaki shorts with white t-shirt that had the flame symbol painted on. He was short, scrawny looking, and a face full of mischief.
"I"m Naruto Uzumaki," the munchkin said while stabbing his thumb into his chest and puffing said chest out, "and I'm going to be the best most handsomest Hokage ever, dattebayo!"
"What are you doing?" Fuu giggled after seeing the kid version of Naruto make such a proclamation.
"You said you never had childhood friends," the young Naruto said with a bashful smile. He also scratched the back of his head as he avoided eye contact. "S-so let's be childhood friends."
She laughed!
"That's too silly!" She laughed.
"So? I'm a kid right now, I can be as silly as I want. See, OoOoOo!" Naruto did the wave with his arms that had Fuu burst out laughing even when she tried to stop herself with her hands.
"So?" Naruto asked, looking at her expectantly.
Fuu somewhat recovered, still holding her heaving chest. She looked at him.
He looked at her with young childish eyes and a smile, tilted his head.
Fuu only smiled as she rolled her eyes and looked away.
"Well~"
Fuu rocked her head from side to side with a smile that held back her amusement.
She put her two hands together and formed a hand seal.
"Henge!"
In Fuu's place, where a young adult once sat on a swing with a white top and white skirt and an orange clip, and metal plate that didn't feel right on her arm, there now sat an elegant looking young girl around Naruto's current height but an inch taller. She wore a single white sundress with a straw hat that had an orange flower tucked into a white ribbon that was tied to the hat on her head, she also had a long vibrantly green hair that ran down to her lower back.
She got off the swing and quickly trotted to a nearby large rock and put one foot on top of it-showing she was barefoot, not at all fitting the lady-like look she currently had, and tried making herself look more imposing.
"I'm the gorgeous Fuu," she announced while pointing two index fingers at herself in such a boying manner, "and I'm going to make a lot of friends and be the best explorer ever, ssu!"
Naruto laughed out loud when she was done with her proclamation.
"Wow that's so silly, dattebayo!" Naruto laughed.
Fuu puffed her cheeks and pouted, her orange eyes looking slightly on the verge of tears.
"Hey! You said we could be as silly as we wanted, ssu!"
"Sorry sorry," Naruto apologized, but Fuu still fumed and pouted. "Still, Long hair huh?"
"Yeah," Fuu said with a sigh. With her index she dragged out a lock of her long green hair for Naruto to see, "my caretakers were obsessed with it being long, said it suited me. I always thought it was pain. Looks weird, huh?"
"Eh, I kinda like it, I mean it does look good on you," Naruto said.
"O-oh, thanks I guess." Fuu said as she hopped off the rock, "but it was annoying to maintain, so I cut it short the second I could."
"Heh heh, I wouldn't know," Naruto said as he approached her ruffling his shaggy hair..
He cleared his throat and extended a hand towards her.
"Well, gor-gorgeous future explorer, wanna be childhood friends?" Naruto asked with cheeks that were lightly flushed after he said that 'g' word.
"Only if it's to the future most han-handsomest-best future hokage ever," Fuu replied with slightly flushed cheeks of her own when she said the 'h' word.
Smiling, the two shinobis shook hands and made eye-contact.
The sea met the sun, and neither broke away.
For a moment in time, pretend felt real. She was a little girl stuffed into an image she didn't like, a priceless and undesirable prize that dreamed of friends and a joyous life of adventure. He was a loudmouth problem child puffing his chest and making outrageous claims that no one believed, longing for more than himself. And they just became friends.
Fuu couldn't describe it.
An idea conveyed without words, a sentiment that echoed from both their hearts.
[I'm Not Alone Anymore]
"W-what now," Fuu asked as she let go of his hand, her cheeks a bit more heated than she would like and look away at the ground.
Naruto quickly retracted his hand and hid it behind his back. He looked away, off to the side, his cheeks a little redder than they were earlier.
The two were silent for a while.
"Last…." Naruto eventually began while closing his eyes.
"Huh?"
"L-last one's to the seesaw is a rotten egg!" Naruto shouted as he sprinted, running right past Fuu with his eyes closed and his cheeks red, clearly flustered.
"Ah! HEY! NO CHEATING!" Fuu shouted in a younger, more high pitched voice as she chased after him, lifting her sundress to do so, and quickly remembering why she hated it.
"Ha ha!"
"Hey! No fair!"
Though she whined, she was smiling.
On that night, the two lived the youth that neither experienced. They played the night away underneath a small sea of stars.