Chapter 4:

Mouse knew that his job was dangerous; he had always known. Ever since he had a sense of reason, he had seen his father work, come home wounded, or sometimes not come home at all, spending days in the hospital. When he decided to become an ANBU, it was shortly after his father's death when he was fourteen. He sometimes thought he might have been a bad influence on his younger cousin and best friend, who was a few years younger than him.

He hadn't expected that feeling of having a family would grow again with Naruto. For a while, he had contemplated retiring. But soon he felt that as an ANBU, he could protect her, and unintentionally, he had risen in rank, ending up as the youngest ANBU commander to date. He still managed his own squad, where a Hyūga had joined for the first time. The idea of an Uchiha and a Hyūga working together sounded ridiculous, but over time, it seemed to work.

Turtle, at first, didn't respect Mouse much due to him being an Uchiha. But he noticed that Mouse wasn't just any Uchiha. He wasn't proud, he laughed and enjoyed himself more than conventional ANBU. Perhaps that's why a friendship started growing between them. Turtle always noticed how Mouse talked about "his friend." He nearly fell over when Mouse mentioned that she was six years old and had just entered the academy. Then the age difference between Turtle and Mouse felt insignificant compared to the age difference between Mouse and his friend. At that time, Turtle was fifteen, and Mouse was twenty-three.

Their friendship continued to grow, even when Mouse suddenly became more distant.

"Oh my god," Turtle said when he found Mouse pressed against a wall, a bottle of alcohol in one hand, and empty bottles scattered all over the floor. Finding his captain in such a state was unexpected.

"T-Turtle hic Wh-what brings you here? hic" The smell of alcohol invaded Turtle's nose even through his ANBU mask, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"The question is, what are you doing?" Turtle asked, crouching down to be at eye level with his captain. His mask was slightly raised, but it wasn't necessary to see Mouse's face, red from the alcohol. The youngest ANBU never thought his captain drank. He knew it was common for ANBU to drink, as entering ANBU was often a way to escape their thoughts, and when they couldn't go on missions, alcohol became their support. But Mouse always seemed happy when he spoke about his friend, saying how she had a bright look despite all the suffering people had caused her.

"W-what would you do if hic I told you I'm going to die?" Turtle's eyes widened in surprise, and his fists clenched.

"I wouldn't believe you." The captain laughed and nodded.

"I-I don't kn-know wh-what to d-do." Turtle noticed how serious his superior's words were, even though he was slurring. When Mouse placed a hand on his shoulder, Turtle nearly jumped. "C-could you do me a f-favor?"

Turtle narrowed his eyes before nodding. "If something were to happen to me, c-could you be th-there for her?" Turtle knew who Mouse was talking about. "P-please."

The younger ANBU sighed. "Nothing is going to happen to you, except that you're too drunk." He grabbed the arm that Mouse was using to prop himself on his shoulder, intending to help him walk to a restaurant where he could eat something and sober up.

"Promise," Mouse said without stumbling, to one of his closest friends, who had become one of his closest friends.

Turtle froze in the middle of his attempt to help. "Alright, I promise." Mouse allowed himself to be helped, and the younger ANBU hoped Mouse wouldn't remember anything. He was surprised when a week later, he heard a faint "you promised," but Turtle had heard it. His captain's serious tone made him nod.

The first time Turtle saw Mouse's "friend" was when he had climbed a tree branch and saw the little girl during class. She looked more bored than humanly possible, but then she turned her head and looked at him. He almost fell from the branch and made awkward movements to stabilize himself. He saw her laughing at him before being scolded by the sensei, which caused her to pout. However, her gaze returned to him a few seconds later.

Her eyes were bright, and the atmosphere changed. It felt light and joyful, powerful.

Mouse once mentioned that Naruto's short hair was because she sometimes cut it herself and had to trim it more to make it even. She looked like a boy, and apparently, the kids in her class thought she was a boy.

...

Naruto spent most of her time alone after school. She didn't dare approach Chouji because she didn't want him to be teased for being friendly with her, even though Chouji had tried to get closer to her. But she couldn't avoid it forever, especially when one day after class, she saw Chouji surrounded by older kids.

"Big, yet so cowardly," one of the kids said, poking Chouji's shoulder with his finger. "Can't you defend yourself?"

"Where's your prince?" another kid commented, arms crossed. Naruto promised to keep her emotions in check, but this situation played with her emotions. She clenched her fists.

"Did you leave your prince behind?" another kid added, crossing his arms. Naruto had promised herself to keep her emotions under control, but this was testing her resolve. She clenched her fists.

"Calling this chubby guy a prince? Not even close." Chouji lowered his head, fists clenched, eyes filled with pain.

In that moment, the streetlight above the older kids exploded, and they jumped. "Stupid jerks! Pieces of crap!" Naruto had learned how to insult loudly in a specific way from someone in ANBU, although she didn't understand half of the profanities she was using. "Idiots!" she exclaimed, walking away with a stern look. Her shrill voice cut through the obscenities she repeated.

The older kids even backed off. Uzumaki had never been like this; she had always seemed timid. But now, she appeared to be a raging force.

" go away!" Naruto roared when she stood in front of the smaller Chouji. It was as if a kitten were defending a dog, but this kitten had claws and eyes with a powerful gleam. The wind rustled as if stirred by her anger. The older kids felt the need to justify their mistreatment of Chouji.

"W-We... I..." Naruto tightened her fists, and the kid let out a squeal, stepping back.

" go away!" she roared again, and the kids made a hasty retreat. Naruto puffed out her cheeks, crossed her arms, and furrowed her brow. How dare they tease someone so kind.

But then Naruto heard a gasp, and her furrowed brow relaxed. She turned, curious. Chouji had his hands over his mouth, his eyes strangely bright.

"You insulted them," Chouji said, surprised. Naruto was puzzled; she didn't understand what was so strange.

"I...," Naruto started to say, but she suddenly became a bit shy. She smiled at Chouji, her brow still slightly furrowed. "You're... kind," she said with a hint of frustration. "Not... bad. You don't... deserve..." Chouji tilted his head, not fully comprehending what Naruto was saying or why she was gesturing with her hands. Naruto seemed to grow nervous, as if afraid of not conveying her thoughts well. She backed away, and before she could leave, Chouji reached out to take her hand, but Naruto jumped back like a startled cat, withdrawing her hand.

"T-Thank you!" Chouji quickly exclaimed, his hands moving rapidly. Naruto blinked, not sure how to react to Chouji's rapid muttering. She didn't fully understand what he was saying either.

"Thank you!" Naruto responded instead of saying nothing, causing Chouji to stop his nervous muttering. "Thank you, Chouji is kind!"

Chouji blinked before bursting into laughter. "You called me by my name! You hadn't before... You didn't even look for me... I thought you didn't remember me... Naruto."

Somehow, Naruto smiled at that. "I remembered Chouji... I'm just not good." Chouji still didn't fully understand what Naruto was trying to convey.

"...I don't understand what you're saying, but... I don't think you're a bad person. I think you're a good kid."

"mmh," Naruto replied, lowering her head with a small smile. She hadn't intended to speak with Chouji again.

…

Chouji had recognized Naruto from the moment the blonde had entered the academy. He had tried to get closer to Naruto along with Shikamaru and had shared how he had met Naruto with his friend.

"I was at the park, accidentally bumped into him, but Naruto was the one who apologized a lot!" Chouji handed Shikamaru the bag of chips, and Shikamaru shook his head while yawning. "He was... really kind... but shy." They were both sitting on the swings when Chouji said that.

Back in the academy, Chouji observed Naruto from a distance. He hadn't noticed before that Naruto had trouble speaking, mixing up words and getting confused, but... he seemed very lonely.

Chouji remembered that moment when Naruto had defended him.

He didn't look like that scared kid to Chouji anymore. He had been furious at how the older kids had treated him, and even though he was half their size, he had stood up to them and shouted, "Beat it!" Chouji would never forget the looks on the older kids' faces. It was like a kitten facing off against lions.

When he returned to Shikamaru, Chouji told him about everything, especially how Naruto had defended him and how he wanted to be Naruto's friend.

...

"Hey." Naruto was startled when a boy she had never talked to before addressed her. The boy had a lazy look in his eyes, and she glanced around confused. The class was about to start. The boy's hair was tied up at the back.

"Hello, Naruto," Chouji greeted, standing next to his friend.

"..." Naruto didn't reply at first, but she eventually waved her hand. "Hi... Chouji." She spoke with her shrill voice, but she was still nervous because of the lazy-eyed boy. He seemed uninterested, as if he was just accompanying someone.

"Oh, this is Shikamaru, my friend," Chouji explained, and Naruto avoided his gaze.

Becoming friends with Naruto might not be that easy. The atmosphere grew cold, likely due to the way Shikamaru was looking at Naruto. Chouji sighed; he knew that look all too well. Shikamaru was assessing Naruto from head to toe.

Then suddenly, Naruto stood up. "Goodbye!" she exclaimed suddenly and ran out of the classroom. No one could stop her, although Chouji had tried.

"Oh," Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "Did I stare too much?" He asked Chouji; it wasn't his intention.

"Yeah, I told you Naruto... doesn't like that. Most people don't like it in general," Chouji explained as their sensei entered the classroom to start the lesson.

…

...

It was strange for everyone in the classroom when a large figure entered without knocking, and they didn't expect that the person they were looking for would be the last in their class, Naruto was confused when Ibiki took her out of the class and led her to the Hokage Tower. In her young mind, all she could think about was dreams. Was she going to be promoted to a ninja? She even thought about asking Ibiki, but he didn't respond to her call. His face was tense as if he was forcing himself to appear serious.

When she was led into the Hokage's office, she immediately noticed that he wasn't smoking his pipe and his eyes were narrowed, almost like slits. "Please, have a seat," he said. She nodded and walked to the sofa, sitting down and leaning against the backrest. The Hokage approached and knelt in front of Naruto. One hand took one of Naruto's hands while the other was hidden behind him. In that moment, Naruto knew that something bad had happened.

"Naruto, the Anbu agent 'Mouse' was found at the end of the river," the horror in Naruto's eyes began to widen as she shook her head. "Deceased."

"N-no," she shook her head. "It's not true!" She shouted, the lights in the room flickering, as her breathing grew erratic, the floor started to tremble, and books fell from the shelves.

"I'm so sorry, dear," tears started to fall, and sobs became louder.

Everything began to shake even harder, windows of houses and shops shattered. The Hokage hadn't realized how much Naruto's power had grown over the years, and in that moment, he also realized that it was Mouse who was soothing her. "Please, dear, calm down," it was the only thing he could say, and he embraced her tightly.

Anbu Turtle witnessed firsthand the power the little girl possessed, and he could understand more why his captain had cared for her so much.

During the funeral, Naruto held the Mouse mask tightly in her arms, embracing it with strength. Tears threatened to fall again, but she knew that bad things happened when she exploded.

"Hello," that was all Turtle could say when he gathered the courage to talk to the girl.

Naruto recognized him as the spy from the window, though she didn't give him a response. Turtle settled down beside her. "I see you were close to Mouse."

"I am," she whispered, clutching the mask.

"He told me a lot about you," Naruto lifted her head to look at the Anbu. "He said you were brilliant and had a unique intelligence." She gave a small smile that quickly faded.

"I don't think he committed suicide," Naruto said, using a word that was far too heavy for a girl who had just turned seven.

"You know something," the Anbu ruffled Naruto's hair. "I don't either."

Thanks for read!