Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the universe. I do own my OCs. Actually, when I think I about it... I own nothing! Everything I own has been simply given to me by my parents. I don't have actual ownership. Isn't that sad? I think it's sad. I think it's really sad. To ease my pain, make sure you review this chapter. Will make me very happy. I can guarantee.

Dragonheart

Chapter 2

Shikamaru was a fan of many things. He had many pastimes he could be doing. He could have been playing shogi with his father. He could have gone cloud-watching. He could have even hung out with Naruto. And although he would not admit it, he valued his friends. But refereeing a fight? That was above his pay grade.

But out of all the things he could have done, a tiny voice in his head had driven him to referee a fight for Naruto. He could have refused, but nope. And now, he was stuck with it, his conscience not allowing him to simply quit.

Silently wishing to himself that he had simply refused, he crossed his arms as he viewed the spectators. Much to his annoyance, a tremendous amount of students from the school had come to view this 'epic' fight, as they had dubbed it. It made sense, really. Hanging out with Naruto was more trouble than it was worth.

Although the blonde did not know it, he was about as popular as Sasuke around the school. Popular for being the dead last, yeah, but he was a funny guy. Shikamaru could at least admit that.

The sound of Choji's gnashing teeth could be heard amongst the side of the many who cheered for the blonde, orange-clad boy who stood face-to-face in a standoff against Sasuke. Shikamaru looked in the direction of Choji. Wow, was he seriously snacking during a fight? Shikamaru didn't blame him though, seeing as how none of the combatants were doing anything. Though he guessed Choji would have been munching on something either way.

Shikamaru set his eyes on the fight, which was still at a standstill. Neither of the involved parties seemed to move an inch, intently staring the other down. He heard Kiba yell, "Yo! Can someone please make the first fucking move?"

"He has a point y'know," said Shikamaru, putting his face on his fist out of boredom as he sat at the edge of the court. "I'm gonna call off the fight if none of you move in five seconds."

"Teme, could you please make a move?"

"You go first dobe."

"C'mon, don't be like that. Just a few more inches."

"Look into my eyes… I swear I will mindfuck you."

"You don't even have the Mangekyou you asshole!"

"Shut the fuck up already!" Kiba yelled. He was finally getting tired of the pointless banter the two made in an obvious attempt at baiting. He came here for a fight, and he was going to get one. "Naruto, I'll pay your tab at Ichiraku's later if you make the first move."

The ramen-lover's eyes widened at the prospect of free ramen, his deep blue eyes glowing as he prepared to initiate contact. He grinned from ear to ear, settling into his stance with his back foot tilted at an angle for support. "You better be ready to pay Kiba… 'cause this is gonna be a hell of a fight!"

Kiba could only grin in response, whilst fearing the demise of his wallet.

Naruto raced towards Sasuke with the intent to meet him head-on. The latter smirked, crouching into his own stance as he prepared to intercept the attack. The former feinted a jab with his lead fist, instead opting for a roundhouse kick to the side of Sasuke's torso. In response, Sasuke brought his elbow inward near his hip to block the kick, slightly cringing from the recoil.

The blonde took advantage of this to twist his hips for a spinning back kick. Sasuke caught the kick in between his ribs and his armpit, bringing his arm under Naruto's leg. As Naruto wailed about, attempting to yank the leg free, Sasuke brought himself closer to Naruto and swept his right foot off the ground.

Now without any legs to stand on, Naruto lost his balance and was hit with the impact of pavement. He clawed for the air he had felt knocked out of his lungs. "Fuck you… teme," he croaked out.

Sasuke immediately ran towards Naruto, pinning the blonde's arms with the body weight of his hands. He felt the boy squirm underneath his grip, which only made him feel better about his apparent victory. Naruto spit at his face, which he expertly dodged. The blonde, however, could do nothing against his grip, forced to stare into the eyes of the Uchiha.

Tightening his grip on the latter's hands, Sasuke smirked. "Hah! Thought you could beat me, huh dobe?"

"Yeah…" Naruto said, a strained chuckle voicing from his throat. "And I still do."

He pushed his knees collectively into Sasuke's ribs, making the boy unintentionally loosen his grip on the blonde's arms. Naruto wrapped his arms around the latter's back. He twisted his hips and firmly planted his feet on the ground, preparing to flip the boy over.

Shifting his body weight, he rolled Sasuke over to his side and reversed the position. He punched the boy's face, breaking his nose and leaving him further imbalanced. He did not stop at that, however.

Smack.

Smack.

Smack.

The sounds of Naruto's fists pummeling the broken face of the Uchiha filled the air. Each fist left a visible bruise on his face, temporarily disfiguring him. Every bruise left Sasuke groaning in pain. Naruto was not going to take any more of the boy's bullshit. If he needed a beatdown to figure that out, he was gonna give it to him.

The girls who had already halted in their cheers gasped in horror. "Naruto, stop!"

"Not until his ass surrenders!" Naruto heatedly replied.

Naruto abruptly stopped, rising from the ground. "Get up, Sasuke. Get up so I can beat you again. No way you get up from that."

Sasuke stood up from the ground, staggering across the pavement. The raven-haired boy shook his head in an effort to lose his tunnel vision. He spit blood on the ground. "Guess luck can actually get you somewhere."

"We all know it wasn't luck, teme," Naruto said with a scoff. "I know you're feelin' the hurt right now, and I don't like beating on weak emo boys who can't fight back. So, could you surrender?"

"...Weak?" he muttered aloud. He, of all people, was weak? He was the survivor of the Uchiha clan, the prodigy of the town, and the brother of Itachi Uchiha. Powerful was his middle name. It was his right to be the strongest. "You, of all people…"

Sasuke almost laughed maniacally. It was ironic. He, a prodigy, was about to succumb to the might of someone lesser than him. Naruto was the black sheep of the town. The blonde was always weak, and he would stay that way. Yet he was calling Sasuke, of all people, weak? No, Sasuke would not sit by and accept that.

Naruto was getting tired of waiting around. Sasuke was losing. Badly, as well. Why couldn't he just give up? "Yeah. I'm calling you weak, asshole."

Sasuke got back into his guard stance. He was not going to let Naruto beat him. He wasn't weak. He wasn't a pussy. The day he chickened out would be the day he died.

From the crowd of bystanders, Sakura looked ready to fall to tears. Why was he going this far for a simple fight? "Sasuke, please! Don't fight him anymore! He's not worth your pride!"

The boy glared at Sakura. "Are you saying that I'm weak too?"

"N-no! But this isn't worth it!" she responded, flinching from the glare of the boy she admired. She turned to Naruto instead, sobbing. "N-Naruto, please! Make Sasuke quit, I'm begging you!"

He seemed to contemplate it, which inspired a shimmer of hope in Sakura. However, it was not meant to be; thus the reason she was so caught off-guard by the ice-cold words that followed.

"No. He asked for the fight, and he's gonna get one; fair and square. I'm not the kinda guy who's gonna take it easy on him, 'cause I know he wouldn't."

Kiba whistled in recognition. "Woo! Beat the shit out of the emo. I like that!"

Naruto smirked. "Pretty sure I already have."

Sasuke took advantage of the short moment in which the two boys were not paying attention to conjure the hand signs for his clan's signature flame technique. He felt the chakra from his Novaz directed towards the digital chakra points near his mouth. He puffed his chest widely, blowing out a ball of flame from his mouth. "Don't you fucking dare call me weak, ever again! Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto jumped into the air to dodge the incoming fireball, aided by the power of his wind release to gain further altitude. Luckily, the fireball was shot in the opposite direction of the crowd. He channeled chakra into the microchips he had tagged on his feet, creating a ball of rotating chakra to soften his landing.

"Someone's feeling pissy, huh teme?" called out Naruto, mocking the wayward Uchiha as he glided through the air.

Sasuke glared at Naruto. He wasn't going to fall for something as simple as that. "I'm the mightiest Uchiha alive, and I'll make you see it."

"You're the only Uchiha alive in the village, yeah. Might I mention, weakest too?"

Shikamaru facepalmed, shaking his head as he muttered strings of incoherent curses. Of course, Naruto would gun for the sore spots. "Troublesome."

Sasuke growled, running towards Naruto at top speed while leaning inward. "I'm not fucking weak! Fuck you Naruto!"

"Do that to one of your fangirls!" Naruto called out with a grin, spitting blood on the ground as he ran towards Sasuke at the same speed.

He readied his chakra to enhance his fists with the brute power of wind release. Cocking a fist back, he grinned at the prospect of besting Sasuke in battle. At the moment as they were about to clash fists, however—

"—What the hell are you two idiots doing?!"

One of the teachers appeared in between the two to halt the unsanctioned fight, appearing with a Body Flicker in a puff of smoke. The teacher wore a chunin vest, his hair tied in a ponytail that swayed from left to right as he chided the two boys, shaking his head. "Goddamn it Naruto, I leave you alone for a few hours and this is what I come back to?"

Naruto put his hand on his neck, grinning. "Sorry Iruka-sensei!."

Iruka sighed. He could find out the reason they fought later at Ichiraku's with Naruto. "Just make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

He looked to Sasuke instead, who only stared back, without a hint of shame. Instead, he stood stoically, apathetic.

"And you, Sasuke," Iruka said, pointing a finger toward the boy. Sasuke slightly flinched as the finger flicked his forehead. Still, he stared back at Iruka without remorse.

"I could more or less expect something like this from Naruto, but from you too? I thought you were better than that."

"It got out of hand," Sasuke said. Inwardly, he was raging at Naruto for having one-upped him in their battle. He knew better than to display so in front of a teacher. He inadvertently side-eyed Naruto.

"None of that," said Iruka, lightly glaring at the boy. Again, he flicked the boy's forehead. "I don't know who's in the wrong, and I don't care either."

Naruto tilted his head quizzically, taken aback. "You don't?"

"No, I don't. And the reason I don't is because you are training to be mercenaries. As far as I'm concerned, that would mean you are soon to be an adult. Adults are mature. This is not a show of maturity."

Looks of puzzlement flashed across the boy's faces. What did that have to do with them fighting?

"Do you think that fighting amongst yourselves demonstrates maturity?" Iruka asked, fearing for their answer.

Naruto raised his hand. "The fact that we didn't involve anyone else does."

"Naruto, I know you're aware that's not what I meant."

Naruto could only return a sheepish look, nervously combing his hand through his hair.

Ituka cleared his throat. "Well, regardless, just make sure none of this happens again. You're off the hook, for now at least."

With those words, Iruka turned back to head to the classroom, leaving the boys in deep thought.

XxX

The crowd of students had already dissipated from the school grounds by the time they had finished their battle. The moment they saw Iruka, many of them made a break for it, afraid to deal with the wrath of their teacher. A few close friends of the combatants remained, hiding behind the gates of the school.

Sasuke had already left, walking home alone and brushing off the concerned gazes of his fangirls with his classic 'hmn'. Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru walked together in the general direction of Ichiraku's, which was something the blonde would always end up unintentionally steering you towards if you walked with him.

Kiba grinned as he threw an arm over Naruto's neck. "Damn, Naruto! I didn't think you had it in you!"

Naruto grinned in response, hinting at the gamble they had made earlier. "Looks like you gotta change your name, man."

"Nah. You technically didn't win. It was more of a draw."

Naruto whined. "Fuck you, man. Don't remind me. I still beat the seven shades of shit out of his ass though."

Now there was something Kiba could agree on. "That you did, my blonde friend. That you did."

"...Troublesome," Shikamaru said, only sighing. While he had been impressed with Naruto's performance, it had not been worth the earful that he had gotten from Iruka for not stepping into the fight. Still, he could congratulate his friend at the very least. "I'd still count that as a win though. You did technically reverse the pin and keep him on the ground for about ten seconds. He kinda went off-time there."

Kiba blew a raspberry. Hey, he didn't want to change his name. Who would? "Bleh. Technicalities."

"You still gotta pay my tab at Ichiraku's by the way."

The Inuzuka paled at that. He was banking on the fact that Naruto had forgotten about that little part of the fight. He knew that there was absolutely no path in his future in which he would be walking out of Ichiraku's without an empty wallet. Naruto was not one to let go of his hunger. "Yo, think you could take a raincheck on that?"

"Hell no!"

Shikamaru patted the poor boy on his back, who had sentenced himself to doom. "We've all been there, man. We've all been there," he assured him.

Kiba looked desperately to Shikamaru for help. "C'mon man, don't do this to me. Think you could lend me some money? Please?"

"Nope. That's on you, man."

"Yeah, uh maybe—" The Inuzuka frantically whipped his head in the other direction, turning to run as fast as he could from the blonde devil. He was absolutely not going to pay his Ichiraku tab. Sure, he would get hell from Naruto for this later, but his money was worth a beat down. "Maybe next time Naruto!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Naruto yelled out. He raced to the rooftops, channeling rudimentary wind chakra behind him to give him an extra boost. Easily enough, he caught up with Kiba, who had mounted his dog to assist in outrunning Naruto. He pulled out a few kunai from his sack, throwing them in Kiba's general direction to slow him down. "Get down here!"

Kiba veered left, dodging the small barrage of kunai. He turned down an ally, knocking a few boxes off of the side as his dog jumped across the obstacles in his way.

Behind him, Naruto was still hot in pursuit, his eyes glowing with the prospect of ramen. Sure, he had cash. But since he could get it for free… Well, that would be a different story. "Run while you can, 'cause I guarantee you're not gonna be running for long!"

Kiba turned his head back forward, narrowly dodging a sign as his dog ran at top speed across the streets of Konoha. Akamaru growled, dodging several people. At this point, he was feeling the despair. He needed the money in his wallet to buy games, damn it! When he made the proposition, he thought that Sasuke would beat Naruto unconscious, and he would forget about the ramen. It was the exact opposite.

Shikamaru had taken the liberty of calling a taxi to follow the two. Unlike the two of them, he had more than enough money to spare, and thus he told the taxi driver that he would pay him generously in exchange for following the boys. "Naruto, chill the fuck out!" he yelled from the car, already rolling down the windows.

"Hell no! He made me hit Sasuke first! That shit got me on the ground!" Naruto yelled back.

Shikamaru shook his head. It wasn't even about the ramen anymore.

"And I need me some ramen to re-energize!"

And of course, it was about the ramen.

Still running with Akamaru, Kiba yelled out, "Shikamaru, a little help here?"

"Nope," he responded, deciding not to get involved. Paying the driver, he got out of the taxi and sat down at one of the nearby cafes. He called out, "You brought this on yourself."

"Fuuuuck!"

Kiba and Akamru swam through the traffic, causing an onslaught of honking noises from disgruntled drivers. Crossing the road, they ran across the sidewalk until they found a clear alley to rest in. Huffing and puffing, the Inuzuka slid down as he sat on a the ground, his back to a wall. Akamaru panted, his tongue sticking out in the wind. At least they had lost Naruto.

"Thought you could escape, huh?"

Well, there went that thought.

Kiba wiped a drop of sweat from his eye, still panting from the chase. Naruto looked as fresh as ever, without a single drop of exhaustion across his energetic face. "Man, you're fast as fuck."

"I know," Naruto replied, grinning. "You still owe me that ramen, by the way."

"Fuck you, man."

"Get in line," Naruto said, cackling.

Kiba palmed his forehead. "Fuck it. Fine, I'll pay. Where's Shikamaru?"

Naruto looked left and right, confused. "I swear he was behind me. Oh wait, he sat down at a cafe."

"...And where is said cafe?"

"No idea."

Shikamaru came into view, hands shoved in his pockets with an annoyed look on his face. "Yall' done? I'm tired of babysitting, man."

"Yep, Kiba finally agreed. Wasn't so hard, right?"

Kiba grumbled in irritation. "I already feel my wallet crying in pain…"

"Naruto, how the fuck do you instinctively take us to Ichiraku's?" Shikamaru pointed towards the sign a small distance away from the alley.

Naruto looked in the direction Shikamaru was pointing towards. There it was, as he had said. It was Ichiraku's in the flesh. He caught the owner of the shop waving towards him. Grinning, he waved back. "Hey, it's Teuchi-ojiisan!"

Kiba's jaw dropped. "Damn it!"

"I gotta go by the way," said Shikamaru, showing a text from his mom. "Mom's gonna be mad if I don't come home now."

"Nooo! You're leaving me to my fate, Shikamaru? Just like this?" Kiba pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.

"Ew. Those do not work on me, man."

"See ya later Shika!" Naruto said, waving him away. "Don't worry, I'll bleed Kiba dry."

Shikamaru grinned, turning to leave. "You better!"

After Shikamaru left, Naruto dragged Kiba by his collar down the alley and ran towards the shop owner. "Ojiisan!"

Teuchi smiled back at the cheerful blonde. "Hey, Naruto! This your friend?"

Naruto grinned. "Yep. Kiba's offering to pay my tab for ramen!"

A young woman came from the back, carrying a metal bowl. She gasped at the battered sigh of the blonde, dropping the bowl she was carrying to the ground. "Oh my god, Naruto! Why do you have so many bruises on you?"

"Hey, Ayame-neechan! I got into a little bit of a fight, hehe," Naruto said, a sheepish grin plastered across his face. "Nothing special."

Ayame rushed to the counters, pulling out a first-aid kit from underneath. Her gentle, familiar hands grazed across Naruto's face as she applied a few bandages over his swelling bruises. A sudden 'ouch!' voiced from him as she applied medical ointment to his face. Naruto attempted to swat her away.

"Nee-chan, that stings like hell!" Naruto whined, making a futile attempt to move her hands. Ayame's hands stayed firm.

Kiba couldn't resist the temptation to laugh. He caught a glare from Naruto as he pulled out his phone, intending to capture the moment. "The mighty Naruto, reduced to a child in front of a ramen standowner!" he said, cackling.

"Kiba, if you post that, I will do the same thing I did to Sasuke to you."

"Too late," he said, making a show of pressing the post button on his phone. He grinned, flipping his phone to show the published post. "Man, the money I lose might not be ideal, but this was worth it!"

Naruto's face was now covered in bandages, almost as if he was a mummy. Placing the first-aid kit away, she eyed Naruto as if he were some sort of art piece. Nodding to herself, she smiled. "Hmm. Better."

"Nee-chan… that was a waste of bandages. It was only a few bruises. You know I heal fast."

"Doesn't matter. You need to take care of yourself better," Ayame said, her hands on her hips. "Who'd you fight this time anyways?"

Silence.

"Was it a classmate?"

Further silence filled the ramen stand, making Naruto shift uncomfortably. "I kinda… started it. But unintentionally."

"He fought Sasuke. Mostly 'cause Naruto managed to 'accidentally' make fun of his parents," Kiba chimed in.

"Shut up Kiba!"

Ayame sighed, palming her face. She wasn't mad, per se, though she did feel disappointed. However, she doubted that Naruto did it intentionally, evident from the apologetic look on his face. "You didn't mean it, did you?"

"No! Of course not," he said, defending himself. "And I did apologize. He punched me either way."

"Hey, Naruto! You want the usual?" Teuchi offered, in an effort to lighten the mood.

As he expected, Naruto perked up at the mention of ramen, saliva dripping at the corner of his mouth. "Yes please!"

Teuchi smiled, passing him the bowl of ramen he had already cooked up the moment he entered the store. It wasn't as if Naruto was going to have anything different.

Kiba groaned as Naruto devoured his meal at an inhuman speed, finishing the entire bowl in almost 30 seconds. "I'm gonna be here for a while, aren't I"

"Better get ready to pay, kid!" Teuchi said, grinning. This was why Naruto was his favorite customer. After all, who didn't like money?

XxX

The afternoon sun gleamed across Naruto's hair, wrapping the now well-fed boy in a comfortable embrace. He rubbed his stomach in circles, his appetite well-satiated. Kiba had agreed to pay the price, and being the bastard Naruto was, he obviously ate a few more bowls than usual. Although, in honesty, it may have been a bit too much.

His movements were rather sluggish as he walked towards his apartment, shoving his hands in his pockets. He must have overeaten. It tasted pretty good though, that he couldn't lie about. Ramen was the holy grail of food.

Naruto broke into a run, resolving to burn off a few of the calories he had gained. Thanks, but the Choji look did not fit him. He liked being skinny. Choji had a use for the calories, however. The blonde remembered a technique he saw Choji do once. Human Bullet Tank, or something. That was pretty useful.

Running around the block, he heard the screams of a few men coming from an alley he had passed. He quickly halted his run, snapping his head in the direction of the scream. They would be in for a real surprise. He wasn't letting any crime occur in his neighborhood. That was his territory. Nobody messed with anything that was his.

He jumped from the ground, grabbing his hands on the fire escape of a small apartment building to his side. He shortly scaled the building, resolving to get the drop on the criminals. He reached the top of the building with little difficulty. He peered over the side of the building from where he had heard the screams.

"D-don't come closer!"

A frightened, skinny young man with a mohawk stood with his guard up, his hands tightly gripping polished brass knuckles. Dressed in all black, his earrings glinted underneath the sunlight's glow. A faint trace of blood dripped from the corner of his lip. His body was littered with tattoos—common for the yakuza. He trembled in fear, afraid.

Around him were two men dressed similarly to him in appearance. One clutched a knife in his hands, lying beaten and bruised across the paving. The other clawed at a firearm, likewise sprawled across the ground. It had been knocked out of his hands, presumably by the girl in front of them.

One girl. One single girl, feeble in appearance, had taken out the three grown men in front of her. Naruto's mouth fell, agape. He would have known if she was a mercenary from the Academy; she looked no younger or older than himself. A civilian, perhaps? Then again, a civilian would not have been able to take out three armed men alone.

Her short, silver hair flapped around in a gust of wind, tied down by a yellow ribbon along the back of her head. Golden eyes stared into the man in front of her, glowing as she prepared to knock out the last of them. She walked forward, her steps full of confidence. The girl smirked.

"You know, I don't like hurting people. But since I live here, I guess I gotta do my part to clean up the trash," she said, her hands on her hips. Cocking a fist back, she hit the man square in his face, causing him to stumble backward. Taking a step forward, she pivoted on the balls of her feet to deliver a head kick to the side of the young man in front of him.

Promptly, the man fell to the ground, unconscious. Naruto took that moment to jump from the roof, using his wind release to soften the impact of the ground. Landing swiftly on his feet, he grinned. "That kick was pretty cool."

The girl curiously quirked an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," he introduced himself. "The best goddamn to-be mercenary in the city."

"You know… most people don't really go off saying that they're mercenaries."

He shrugged. He didn't give a damn if some random girl knew. The fact that said random girl was probably a mercenary herself helped. "Well, guess I'm not most people. What about you, though? What's your name?"

"Nori Kawasaki, though the last name doesn't really matter much anymore."

"You used to be a clan?" Naruto asked in disbelief. Now he was curious. He knew most of the clans in Konoha, and Kawasaki was not one of them.

"Emphasis on the 'used to.' But I'm not gonna give you any more info than that."

He shrugged in return. "Don't care. Good job cleaning the garbage by the way," he joked.

"Like you helped," Nori deadpanned. Not that she needed it, of course, but would've been helpful either way.

"Not my fault. I didn't get here until you clocked the last one in the head," Naruto said. "You had it handled anyways."

"Pfft, you're probably too weak to handle them," she jabbed. Though from his use of wind, he did seem pretty skilled from what Nori could tell.

He took offense to that. Nobody called Naruto Uzumaki weak. "Hey! You wanna fight and see how weak I am?"

"No thanks," she turned around, waving him off. "I got things to do. Like getting a house, for starters," she said, muttering the last part under her breath.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

Naruto shrugged it off. "See ya, I guess."

She left the alley, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts. He still felt oddly confused. Was she a mercenary? Probably a wandering one, as she didn't seem to have any trace of the Mercenary Association on her. He knew what a merc's mark looked like, and she definitely didn't have any on her as far as he could see.

Maybe he could pick Shikamaru's brain? Leaving the alley, he pulled a phone out of his pocket to call Shikamaru. The phone rang.

"...Naruto? What's up?"

"Could you ask your dad if he knows someone named Nori Kawasaki?" Naruto said, his hands in his pocket as he walked up the stairs to his apartment.

"Who's that, your girlfriend? Wait, you got a girlfriend?"

He pushed the button on the elevator to go to the upper floor. "No, you idiot! Some girl I saw beat up a few thugs in an alley."

"Why does that matter?"

"She beat 'em the same way I would. I'd swear she's a merc, but she doesn't have a marking on her," Naruto said, exiting the elevator as the doors opened. He reached into his pocket to fish out his keys. "You know how it is, man. What if she's a rouge?"

"You're being idiotic. What are the chances some random girl you saw is a rogue mercenary from another city? Why do you care anyway?"

"I dunno man… Just ask your dad. Please?"

"Troublesome… Fine. I'll ask. Nori Kawasaki, right? You know this is gonna screw her over if she is a rogue."

Naruto didn't know why he cared so much. Something within him really wanted to know. If she was a rogue, well it wasn't his problem. She shouldn't have gone around telling her name to others. Still, he answered, "Yeah. I know."

"I gotta go. I'll let you know when I get the results from Dad, alright?"

"Alright. See ya," Naruto said before hanging up the phone. He had already entered his apartment and taken off his shoes and was now lounging in his bed. That girl, Nori, was a real mystery. Nobody was that strong without being a merc. And no merc was ever without a mark. Being both meant trouble.

He placed his phone on his nightstand and stared at the roof of his apartment.

"Well, that was some Friday, huh?"

XxX

Naruto woke up to the sound of chirping birds and an annoyingly persistent alarm clock. Naturally, as anyone else would do, he reached towards his nightstand and threw said alarm clock at his wall to silence it. He yawned, stretching his arms.

"Fucking alarms…" he muttered under his breath as he swung his legs over his bedside. His feet were met with the cool feeling of the wooden floor beneath him. He walked over to his bathroom and lazily put some toothpaste on his brush.

He leisurely brushed his teeth, rinsing his mouth a few times. Gargling his mouth, he washed his face with water and used a towel to dry it.

The noise of his door creaking open filled his ears as he exited the bathroom. He heard the sound of jingling keys. Keys? Had someone broken in? He pulled out a kunai from a cupboard, readying it as he prepared to attack. There were only three people who had the keys to his apartment. He was in the house, his landlord wouldn't just randomly enter, and the other one; but that one shouldn't have been back for a few—

"Gaki! You there?"

Naruto sighed in relief. Putting away the kunai, he answered, "Ero-kyofu? When'd you get back?"

"Just a few hours ago, actually," Jiraiya said, walking into the mess that was Naruto's apartment, his arms crossed. "You gotta clean up this place, kid."

"Meh. Maybe later," Naruto said, shrugging it off. "Whatchu need?"

Jiraiya pulled a chair from the table in Naruto's kitchen and sat down. "Can I have some breakfast?"

"Really? That's what you came here for?" Naruto said, staring at Jiraiya incredulously.

"C'mon, give your godfather something to eat, will ya? I just got back from a mission."

"I know that," Naruto deadpanned. "Go to a restaurant or something. Use your money for something other than red light districts."

"No can do, gaki. That's what my money's for."

A question popped up in Naruto's mind. "Hey, do you know anything about some Kawasaki clan?"

"The Kawasakis? Yeah, some clan from Kumo. They died out a few years ago. Why?"

"Were they any powerful?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I've never met one myself. From what I heard though, they were. You met one?"

"Yeah. Some girl named Nori. Are they rogue?" Naruto asked, hoping that they weren't.

He wasn't sure why Naruto was so insistent, but he answered regardless, "That girl's not rogue, if that's what you mean. Pretty sure Kumo kicked their clan out."

"Why?"

"Why the hell do you care?" Jiraiya asked, now rightfully annoyed. Snickering to himself, he added, "Is she your crush or something?"

"Hell no! She fights like a merc but she doesn't have a mark."

"Eh, let her be. She probably had training from her clan. If she wants to register with the village, she can. Actually, great idea! Persuade her."

Naruto scoffed. "I could, but she's not gonna listen to me."

"What, lover's quarrel?"

"I don't like her that way!"

"Gaki, can I please have my breakfast then?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll make you karaage or something."

"I knew you loved me, gaki," He said, his mouth watering. Let it be known that Jiraiya liked fried chicken.

"Shut up, ero-kyofu."

XxX

Naruto shivered, a chill morning breeze passing through him as he walked alongside his godfather Jiraiya. The warm glow of sunlight radiated his skin as he shoved a hand in his pocket, using the other to crack his neck. A familiar warmth grazed his golden blonde hair, ruffling his head. He reached up to remove the offending hand.

Jiraiya chuckled as they continued to walk the streets. A morning stroll, as he called it, was the best thing to do when one awoke. Naruto had gotten into the habit of copying his godfather, without any other parental figure to imprint on his habits. Thus, they both found themselves walking in silence, enjoying the warm, yet chill atmosphere that was reminiscent of spring.

A few citizens stopped to look at the pair, the blonde yawning as Jiraiya walked beside him. None of them dared to glare at Naruto in front of the famed mercenary that was the toad sage. To Naruto, though, he was just a perverted godfather. Ero-kyofu, as he had taken to calling him.

Once out of the line of sight, Jiraiya spoke up distastefully. "Citizens still botherin' ya, gaki?"

"Nah. Not outright at least," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "They glare and give me looks, but that's about it. Especially after what you did."

To that, Jiraiya barked in raucous laughter. Of course, the barking dogs were all bark and no bite. He had personally seen to the more brave ones who decided to mess directly with his godson. Nobody bothered his godson. Only he could do that.

"So? Why'd you take me out here today?"

Jiraiya shrugged. No reason, particularly. He didn't know he needed one to bond with the only child he actually gave a damn about. Though he was a terrible influence, he could admit that. It was only a matter of time before Naruto would join him in his antics. Only a matter of time.

"Really?" Naruto deadpanned. "You barge into my room in the morning, ask me for breakfast, take me outside, and just straight up say nothing?"

Jiraiya sighed. Guess he had to tell him. "Gaki… are you sure you want to join the mercs?"

"What? Of course, I am! Why the hell would you ask me that?"

"You can be anything else. Anything you want to be. But you choose to be a hired weapon?" Jiraiya asks, sadly. For the past few years, he had been popping by at Naruto's house every once in a while to train him a bit. But he realized that what happened to Minato could happen to him. That prompted today's visit.

Naruto sighed, thinking about his options seriously. A doctor? No, he was an idiot. Police? Maybe he could investigate, but still no. He liked fighting, thank you. Being a merc meant being made of money. Money was what he needed.

"Yeah, I choose to be a hired weapon. But I'm gonna be a sentient weapon. And nobody's throwing me away."

Jiraiya smiled at his determination. An honest-to-god real smile. Patting his godson on the back, he said, "Well, as long as you're sure! Don't blame me on your deathbed for all your misfortune."

"I'd like to die on a battlefield, thanks. Dying while croaking from disease is lame, ero-kyofu," Naruto said in a joking manner.

Naruto's godfather chuckled. "So, tell me about that girl you mentioned this morning. Nori something?"

"What the hell, Naruto! You told him about me?"

As if on cue, Nori walked towards them from an alley, dressed in a black sweater and tight blue leggings. An air of defiance surrounded her as she emerged from the dark shadow. The sunlight momentarily blinded her, causing her to squint her eyes.

"Nori? Where the hell did you come from?" Naruto asked, his mouth agape. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Well, Naruto supposed it was she in this case.

With her hands on her hips, she pointed at the alley she came from. "From my home. Which is now the streets."

"Damn, gaki…" Jiraiya unmanly giggled, a lascivious smile on his face as he took out his notepad. He knew hanging around Naruto would bring him inspiration for his research one day. Today was that day. Staring at the girl, he quickly sketched her with a pencil. "That's a real catch."

"Can I kick him?" Nori asked, narrowing his eyes at the man. Jiraiya inched away instinctively.

"Not the problem right now! Why the hell are you on the streets?"

Nori shrugged. It was a simple story really. "Lost my keys when I fought off those thugs. Guess I dropped 'em when I did the head kick."

"Ooh, the camera angles. Love a fighter girl," Jiraiya said, lecherously grinning. He was furiously sketching notes on his paper. He had to admit, Naruto was pure inspiration, plain and simple.

"Can I please kick him?"

"Yep, go ahead."

Nori twisted her hips to the side to build up the momentum for a push kick, thrusting her foot at Jiraiya's solar plexus. The impact of the kick pushed him flying into the air, sending him across half of Konoha. A faint "I regret nothing!" as he flew into a mountain rang in their ears.

"Wait, will he be okay?" Nori asked, a little concerned. Only slightly, however. Very slightly. "Actually, I don't care."

Naruto waved it off as if it was commonplace for a man to be flying into the air. "He'll be fine. He's had worse."

"So… godfather huh?" Nori asked, using the term she overheard from Naruto.

"Yeah," Naruto said, shrugging. "Apparently he was a friend of my parents or something. He never told me who they were though."

Nori deadpanned, "Really? You never asked?"

"Nah, why would it matter? They're dead anyways."

"Wow… I feel bad for your parents now."

"Don't," said Naruto, shaking his head. "They're dead. No use."

"You're really spiteful, huh?" Nori replied curiously.

"I'm not spiteful, just realistic. Who cares about dead people?"

"So…" Nori put her hands on the back of her head in a relaxing manner, walking alongside Naruto on the pavement. She asked teasingly, "You talked about me?"

To his credit, Naruto stayed rather cool-headed from his years of experience at school. "Yeah. I mean, sure I don't really know you, but it would be cool if I could."

"Aww… That's kind of cute Naruto," Nori said, patting his head. It was a little awkward as they were the same height.

Naruto growled in disapproval. "Don't call me cute. I'm a badass, dattebayo."

"Dattebayo?" She repeated while giggling. "Really?"

"Don't make fun of my verbal tics either."

Naruto was a badass, as far as he was concerned. To Nori, however, he was just a cute, lonely boy. A cute, lonely boy he would not be anymore once she saw him fight, however. That, Naruto could guarantee. If someone could still call him cute after he knocks someone out, he would quit fighting.

"Where are you gonna stay, if you lost your keys?"

She pointed back to the alley she had come out of. "I already told you, there."

"Hell no! Why don't you ask your landlord for new keys?"

"Don't you think I already tried that? I'm not that stupid, Naru-chan."

Naruto growled. "Don't call me that."

"Naru-chan~"

He threw his arms back in mock annoyance. "Ugh! Not the point. Are you really gonna stay in that dump?"

"Are you making fun of homeless people?"

"No! Well, actually, I'm making fun of you. That's a terrible place to sleep in."

Nori sighed. "Does it look like I have a choice?"

"You could…" Naruto started off, shifting uncomfortably. "You could stay at my place."

"What?" Nori said in disbelief. Hadn't they met only a few days ago? She refused to believe they were that close. She growled, "What are you insinuating?"

"Not like that!" Naruto said in defense. "I have an extra room nobody uses. And I… kinda like you. I am currently lacking in the friends department at the moment."

"Aww… Naru-chan likes Nori-chan?" she said, teasingly.

Naruto, red-faced, yells, "Yes or no, damn it? Answer the question!"

Nori thought about it for a moment. It would mean having access to a shower and being able to change. She could finally get out of the clothes she had worn for three days! Plus, she'd have a warm place to sleep! Konoha was not warm at night. There were more benefits than cons, really. And to her, Naruto did not seem like the sort of person who wanted anything in return.

"You know what… Why not? What could I lose?"

XxX

"Wow… I think I really preferred the alley over this dump, Naru-chan."

Naruto had taken Nori to his apartment to show her around so she could bring any stuff she had in the alley. Although, it wasn't much, honestly. It was really just a bag and a brush she carried around with her. Nori had been appalled by the state of Naruto's apartment. As far as she was concerned, his place was an actual dump.

Littered across the floor were clothes and boxes that he never cleaned up. The putrid stench of food on plates he had left in the sink, but hadn't cared to wash. There were bags and cardboard all over the place. The only place that was remotely clean was the bathroom and the guest room, to her joy. She wouldn't have to deal with the mess that was Naruto's apartment.

However, regardless, she couldn't bear living in a space this unclean. Thus, she had forced Naruto to clean. Of course, as she was staying here, she helped him. He picked up the clothes and cleaned the tables, and she helped him wash the dishes (which he sucked at).

The smell of clean clothes invaded her nose as she took out her own from the laundry. As it turned out, Naruto didn't wash his clothes with the machine he had in the corner. He only hand-washed them when they smelled too bad, and otherwise covered himself up in deodorant.

"That was harsh, Nori."

She put her hands on her hips as she sunk back into a walk. "It was the truth, Naruto. You really had to clean this place. Your dumbass godfather doesn't help?"

"Nah, he doesn't stay here," Naruto said from his bed as he scrolled on his phone. "He just pops in from time to time to check on me. It's hella annoying, but I like him."

"So? You go to school or something?" Nori asked, looking at the arranged collection of dusty yearbooks. "Wow, a merc academy?"

"Yeah," answered Naruto. "Konoha's government funds one to supply the association with more mercenaries. The school forces you to know general shit first. Like the history of Konoha. Why should I care?"

"Meh. You shouldn't. I wouldn't."

He scoffed. "Yeah, right. You're probably the type of girl who gets full marks in class."

Nori took that as a compliment. Although she had never formally attended an academy, she still wasn't the best of her clan, apparent when she was schooled by her family. "Thanks, I guess."

"For what? You don't get full marks?"

"No. But that's not the point," she said. "Thanks for all of this. For giving me a place to stay."

Naruto laughed. "No problem. Stay here 'till your landlord comes back."

"Actually… slight problem."

"Hmm?"

"He doesn't come back until next month."

Naruto jumped out of his bed in shock. "What?"

Nori flinched. She knew that he wasn't going to let her stay for a month, but she hadn't expected his refusal to be this huge. "Sorry…"

"Why the fuck are you apologizing? Your landlord is an idiot if he thinks he can leave his complex alone for a whole month."

"Wait… what?" Nori questioned. She thought he would refuse.

"What?"

"So… I can stay?"

"Yeah. I already told you that. Stay for as long as you'd like."

She teased, "Aww… you're really that desperate for friends?"

"Shut up!"

Nori had honestly not expected Naruto to let her stay. She was a stranger to him. He was a stranger to her. She didn't really understand the concept of friends. All the ones she had ever had, left her. But strangely enough, Naruto made her feel comfortable. It was odd. Was it some genjutsu?

Silently, Nori chanted a genjutsu release. Nothing happened. Naruto noticed this out of the corner of his eye but decided to ignore it. He was unsure why Nori would try such a thing, but it wasn't his problem if she was insecure. He shrugged and went back to his phone.

Nori closed her eyes, lying down on the bed that Naruto gave her in the guest room. Silently she muttered to herself, making sure she was unheard by the blonde.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

XxX

Japanese Terminology:

Ero-kyofu: Japanese wordplay with ero-sennin, or "Pervy Sage." Kyofu is the closest Japanese equivalent to 'godfather,' hence the meaning would be akin to "Pervy Godfather."

Dattebayo: A verbal tic that Naruto often added to the end of his sentences, roughly translates to "Believe it!" in the dub.

-Neechan: Japanese honorific suffix, that means older sister.

Gaki: Jiraiya often refers to Naruto with this, which roughly means "brat"

-Chan: Japanese honorific suffix, used with close female friends, young children, and sometimes to refer to a lover. In Nori's context, she is referring to Naruto as a cute child.

-Kun: Used to address close young males, Also a Japanese honorific.

Karaage: Japanese fried chicken. Mentioned in manga that Jiraiya likes it... so why not?

Author's Note:

Yo.

So, I got a beta reader! Her name's KaviDay and she's also writing a Naruto fanfic. It's infinitely more interesting than mine and has 60 chapters to boot, so check it out while you wait for the next chapter. It's a Suna-centric fic about Gaara, but I'd really recommend giving it a read. Check it out. It's named "The Carnage Called Love". Of course, thank you to her for beta-ing this chapter.

I know I said that I'd post a chapter once I got a review, but I didn't technically get a review on the last chapter, so I did not have to follow through! Lol, no, the real reason was it was the holiday season (Christmas, New Year's, stuff with my family) and I actually have a life.

Do y'all prefer shorter chapters and quicker release time, or longer chapters and shorter release time? Let me know in the reviews, I guess. (though I still got zero views on my last chapter, so I guess nobody reads anything I write...)

I'll probably write another chapter in a week. Maybe.

See ya. Rehan out.