Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Chapter 5

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It was a quarter to eight in the morning.

Why did they have to be at school so early, when the sun was barely rising, Shikamaru didn't know.

As he laid his arms on the table, his head buried in them, he tried to ignore the noise surrounding him as his classmates chatted loudly. What he wouldn't do to be in his bed right now, to have a pillow to lie on at this very moment…

When he heard a loud thump before him, he raised his head slightly to see a blonde little girl sitting in front of him. Ino, of the Yamanaka Clan, was usually seated in the rank before his with her two friends, Sakura and Naruto. He knew her as she came to his house from time to time, her father being a close friend of his dad. She was nice, but way too loud and bossy for his tastes. She used to spend quite some time with him and Choji, his best friend, and they still had to train on their clan techniques together whenever their fathers decided to organize a common training session – although it usually ended up in gossiping sessions, their dads being actually worse than Ino herself.

Fortunately, ever since she had become friends with the two other girls, the younger Ino-Shika-Cho trio spent less time together at school. It didn't stop Ino from nagging Shikamaru and Choji from time to time though.

Sakura, the pink-haired girl, was a shy and silent person. She had befriended Ino for quite some time now, but he didn't know much about her other than the facts that they liked to share stories about their (fictional) love lives. He was much more acquainted with Naruto – the girl who was despised by most of the adults. He didn't mind her, and they would spend some time together whenever they would skip class, alongside Choji and Kiba. Sure, she could be really loud, but somehow he felt for her as he was aware of the treatment some villagers gave her. Since she started spending time with Ino, she had become much calmer though. She was less troublesome in class, and she hadn't missed any courses; not even once. He could see how having studious people by her side was influencing her. He couldn't even recall her pranking people that month.

He remembered asking his father about it. Weren't adults supposed to be wise and kind? Weren't they supposed to guide the children? One would think they would be much more attentive to an orphan-child like Naruto. At least, now that she seemed to have made friends, she looked happier. Shikamaru didn't like to meddle with things he wasn't involved in, but to see a classmate being mistreated by adults was so wrong.

Shikamaru glanced tiredly at the seat beside him, where Choji was quietly munching his chips. He buried his head in his arms again, rubbing his forehead tightly against the back of his hand. He really needed a pillow, he thought with a frown.

"-wrong about Naruto?" Shikamaru heard.

He blinked dazedly as he came back to his senses. A loud hubbub reached his ears suddenly, and he realized that he had probably fallen asleep for a few minutes.

Shikamaru rubbed his eyes sleepily as he raised his head, and pink filled his vision. During his slight nap, Sakura had arrived at school and was now sitting beside Ino. From behind her, he could see her upset expression as his eyes laid on her profile.

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"Ino… Can I talk to you about something?" Sakura inquired, her voice quivering a bit.

Her blonde friend raised an eyebrow questioningly. She had probably noticed the unease that Sakura was feeling ever since she had stepped in the classroom.

"I…" Sakura started, as she searched carefully for her words. "Hm, something strange happened at home yesterday…"

Ino frowned slightly. "What is it?"

Sakura's lips turned downwards, her eyebrows furrowed. She glanced down at her lap, her face expressing openly her troubled state.

"My mom told me to stop being friends with Naruto…"

She didn't dare to look at Ino's reaction and missed the way the blonde's eyes widened in surprise.

"What? What do you mean?" she demanded in a rushed tone. "Is that a joke? Why would she say that? What's wrong with Naruto?"

Sakura glanced at her, seemingly just as lost.

The night before, during dinner, Sakura had talked about her day to her parents as usual. Most of the time, the conversation revolved more around whatever they were being taught at school, although she would tell them about her friends and their little adventures as well. But, she realized, despite mentioning her "friends", she had never told them that Naruto was one of them.

Her parents seemed to have mistaken Naruto for a boy, at first. It wasn't until she had corrected them about the pronoun that they had seemed to recognize who she was talking about. After all, it wasn't usual for a girl to have such a boyish name.

Her father's expression had become unreadable, but she had felt cold just looking at him. As for her mother, all colors had drained from her face before she proceeded to scold her.

Don't approach that girl again.

"I don't understand…" she whispered.

She's not a good person to be friends with, Sakura.

"My mom is so nice, there must be a reason?" Sakura wondered weakly.

This girl is in trouble.

She hated that her mother sounded so much like Ami and her friends.

Ino stared at her, scandalized. "That doesn't make any sense! Your mom doesn't even know Naruto, how would she know that?"

Sakura's fists tightened and she fixed her gaze on her lap once again, her frown deepening. Her eyes moistened a bit as frustration built up in her chest. That was unfair. Yes, Naruto used to be a troublemaker, but she had calmed down a lot lately. She always listened to her whenever she'd be asked to concentrate in class and she tried her best at school. She was so bright and nice. The image of Naruto defending her against Ami rushed back to her mind, her words playing on repeat in her head. How could her mother think Naruto was bad?

The mere thought of having to break their friendship hurt so much.

Ino watched Sakura silently, her thoughts following a similar trail. She could see the dilemma in her friend's eyes.

She spoke tentatively, her voice soft. "What do you feel about her, Sakura?"

Watery green eyes laid on her. "I…" she began with a quivering voice.

Naruto's smile flashed in her mind in that instant.

I can check for you!

The day when their friendship had begun a bit more than a month earlier, Naruto had approached them awkwardly in order to help them. Since then, they had spent all their time together. She would support them when needed, be happy for them if they had good news, and despite her hyperactivity, she'd do her best to listen and help as much as she could. She struggled in class but she would be very attentive to Sakura's explanations and was always so grateful. She was funny, with nice ideas, and she was so affectionate. She gave her confidence in herself and she was always in a good mood.

Sakura thought back of the lonely days at the beginning of the year when people would mock her for her wide forehead. She'd feel so tiny, ugly and unimportant. Ino may have gotten her out of her loneliness and would be present for her, but Naruto offered her brightness and a feeling of accomplishment as well. Sakura might not have many friends, but those that she had were the bests she could ask for and she didn't want to lose any of them.

"I like her," Sakura whispered strongly.

"Then you should do what you want to do."

Sakura turned round in surprise to put a face on the voice who had spoken behind her.

His chin in his palm, Shikamaru was staring at her, his eyes expressing boredom at its finest. "If you think that Naruto's okay, don't ponder on it too much. That's troublesome."

She opened her mouth slightly, at a loss for words.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Everything's troublesome to you, Shikamaru." She glanced back at her pink-haired friend and shrugged before she stared with conviction at Sakura. "He's right, though. I like Naruto too, and she's already my friend. I'll stand by her."

Sakura looked from Ino to Shikamaru in wonder, their words filling her mind.

They made it sound so easy.

She had never questioned her mother's judgment before, but right at that moment, she couldn't help but want to decide for herself what she thought of Naruto. After all, she knew her way better than her parents did!

Finally, a smile formed on her lips and she nodded in satisfaction, her decision made. "Yeah. Naruto's my friend and that won't change."

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Naruto was standing in the middle of a crowd of children. She looked around her, her eyes traveling between the little girls surrounding her as she tried to find her two friends.

She had talked until late that night with her soulmate, who was still giving her lessons on grammar and spelling while teaching her about the Shinobi History. After a complicated lesson at school that Sakura-chan couldn't explain to her because of a lack of time, she had questioned her soulmate who, obviously, was very knowledgeable. Thus, he went on a full explanation about the foundation of the Nations that resulted in the Ninja System, the Clans' alliances and the establishment of the Shinobi Calendar in year 0.

Learning about the Clan Wars was so crazy; he made it so much more interesting than Iruka-sensei did! Oh, how she wished that her soulmate could be her teacher at the Academy.

He had told her that it would be their last session of lessons this week because he would be busy starting today. It happened from time to time, so she wasn't surprised by the news. He hadn't given her more detail, and she hadn't asked either.

Part of her was still scared that if she learnt too much about his personal life, he would ask her to tell him as much about herself – just like Ino and Sai did. And if her soulmate started to wonder about personal matters about her, he could ask her, say, her name. Which Naruto wanted to avoid at all costs. In the end, he had warned her that she shouldn't worry about him not answering her at all in the following days and that he would contact her as soon as he was done in order to put her mind at ease.

As a result of her staying up late, Naruto had had a hard time waking up in the morning and she ended up arriving late at school. When she had reached her classroom, the pupils were already moving out of the room. That day, the courses were divided; she didn't know what the boys would be doing, but girls had their Kunoichi Lessons. She didn't understand why boys and girls were separated; after all, they were all at the Academy in order to learn how to be a good ninja. Shouldn't they be taught the same stuff, then?

She had tried to sneak in the boys' courses before, but she would always be brought back to the right class.

Now that she was friends with Sakura-chan and Ino-chan, she didn't mind it as much, but a few months before, since the only people she had an agreeable relationship with – as in, they tolerated each other – were boys, Kunoichi Classes were her least favorites.

Now, she just needed to find her friends.

"Alright class, today we'll learn how to put on makeup on your pretty faces!"

Naruto's attention perked up. Ohhh, they were doing painting today, dattebayo! That was nice news! Not that she wanted to throw flowers at herself, of course not, but she was reaaally good at painting!

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The Shopping Street of Kusagakure was quite different from Konoha's. Although the village was also surrounded by trees, the architecture of the buildings and the districts gave a much different atmosphere. Shisui walked in the street wearing civilian clothes, his hands in his pockets, as he analyzed his surroundings. He loved his village with a passion, but it was interesting to see the differences with the homes of others. People were lively and the shops were busy, Kusa being located between two great countries and a few minor cities.

Rumors about one of Orochimaru's hideouts being situated near the village had reached the Hokage's ears, and a team had been immediately sent to find more information about the situation.

Since Anko was the most familiar with Orochimaru as his old apprentice, she had also been put on the team. However, seeing how agitated she had been during the travel, Shisui wondered if that had been a good idea. He was well-aware of how strong she was, both in skill and in mind, but the trauma of the Snake Sannin's betrayal was still too recent for her and she didn't have enough time to get over it. After all, it had only been four years since his defection, and the villagers blamed her and looked down on her for her teacher's treason.

In some twisted way, it felt awfully similar to the Uchihas' situation, and that was probably a reason why he and Anko got along so well. Despite the fact that she didn't know to which extend his clan was secluded, she had noticed that tensions were growing with them within the village - well, most of the villagers had, if he had to be honest with himself. Those who didn't feel any animosity towards them just preferred to stay out the problem.

When he noticed an old lady who seemed to struggle as she carried a few shopping bags, Shisui came to a stop. He put a pleasant and friendly smile on his face before he approached her to propose a helping hand.

The information-gathering could begin.

The team was divided in two divisions. Shisui's mission was to question people in town to collect information about a possible abandoned facility nearby as well as unusual disappearances or kidnapping cases. It was a given that the snake summoner was most probably running illegal human experiments. Raidō and Aoba also had to infiltrate different parts of town, while Anko and Hayate scouted the region as they tried to track trails that could have been left behind. Although Orochimaru was a careful man who knew not to leave any led to him, the snake mistress could follow after him thanks to their common summons to some point as well as her knowledge of her previous master's habits and tactics.

"Thank you for your help, young man, you're so charming. Would you stay for supper? I have a wonderful granddaughter, I'm sure you'd be very pleased to meet her," the lady suggested openly with an interested gleam in her eyes.

Shisui let out an awkward laughter, and he rubbed his hair shyly. "Ah, that- is very nice of you, but I'll have to decline."

Sharp eyes watched him like a hawk, and Shisui started to sweat profusely. He hadn't gotten any data, and now he was stuck with a matchmaker. He didn't understand why the elders were always so intent on setting up their descendants with him whenever he talked with them, but getting married was not part of his top priorities.

"Besides," he added with a grin, "my soulmate would most likely be upset if I went to see another girl!" he chanted with a wave, before he left quickly, laughing at the expression of surprise on the older lady's face.

He had someone waiting for his return, after all. Admittedly, it wasn't conventional way of waiting for him but, somehow, he couldn't help but think of that person in that moment.

With a secret smile on his face, the thought of his soulmate at the back of his mind, Shisui continued to meet people, chat with them and question them subtly. Thanks to his natural charisma and his friendly character, it was easy for him to blend in and to gain the villagers' sympathy. Moreover, his reputation hadn't quite reached the civilians yet.

Nonetheless, at some point, he started to notice suspicious glances being thrown at him. First, the people he conversed with would give him strange looks and they would stop talking to him. Then, gradually, even people around him would scrutinize him and whisper in his back. He wondered if the word had gotten out that Shunshin no Shisui was in the village, but he couldn't think of what could have given him away and why no one was attacking him either.

After he left the last pub that he had visited, leaving stunned yet amazed looks behind him, Shisui felt that he was starting to feel paranoid and established to scan his surroundings carefully in case he was being spied on. If Orochimaru or his subordinates were around...

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Shisui caught sight of his reflection on a shop-window. He did a double-take and stared in horror at the sight in front of him.

"What the- ?!"

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"Wait, gimme some more white paint!"

"Blush, Naruto. Blush."

Naruto took her hands to her cheeks. "Huh? How do I blush at will? Why d'you want me to blush?"

"Wha-" Ino facepalmed. "Naruto, no."

Sakura giggled at her friends' antics. The class had been divided into groups of two to four people. Each group was given two make-up palettes, and they had to try out the examples that the teacher had shown them.

Predictably, Sakura, Ino, and Naruto were together. They were all sitting around a table, and each of them took turns in putting makeup on each other. Ino had started with putting some on Naruto's face, applying orange eyeshadow (Naruto wouldn't take any other color) and red lipstick on her with as much precision as she could muster.

Then, she had taken care of Sakura's face as well, who was quite happy with the result. She felt like a true woman now! Ino had a way with aesthetics!

It was now Naruto's turn to apply makeup on Ino's face, however, the latter was too scared of the result and she tried to give a few pointers to her future makeup artist beforehand.

As her friends were bickering beside her, Sakura admired her painted face in a mirror, a smile on her face… until another detail caught her eye.

On her wrist, a message was written in black ink.

Did you put makeup on your face?

Sakura's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Her soulmate had written to her! That… was quite unexpected. She took a pencil that was lying on the table and proceeded to answer him.

How did you know?

She saw a response being written back immediately.

I've been told my green eyeshadow highlighted my sultry gaze, although it seems to be put quite sloppily.

Sakura read the sentence, looked at her reflection in the mirror - and focused mainly on the eyeshadow that Ino had chosen to compliment the color of her eyes, before she read her soulmate's message once again.

Her eyebrows furrowed. What now, even the makeup appeared on one's soulmate skin? What did he mean, 'it was sloppy'? Her soulmate could be so annoying! As she held her pencil in her hand, an idea came to her mind.

A cheeky grin formed on her face.

Payback time!

She took a palette and a brush, and as she focused on her reflection in the mirror, she started to darken the foundation on her face. This way, her soulmate's sloppy makeup would be impossible not to notice!

She still hadn't gotten over the joke that he had played on her a month earlier when he had drawn on her face in the middle of class. The week before, during dinner, she had even found herself with bushy black eyebrows instead or her thin pink ones. Her parents hadn't understood how that had happened, seeing that when she had sat at the table, her face had been devoid of any painting. When she had tried to explain to them that she had inherited of the most irritating soulmate in the whole world, her parents had only retained the part where she had a lover, causing her father to burst into tears and her mom to ask many questions about her future son-in-law. At least, they didn't mock her about the ridiculous drawings on her face, but still. He was so infuriating!

"Sakura!"

At the sound of her name, Sakura turned to her caller. She was met with the sight of Ino staring at her in horror.

"What are you doing to your face? This is way too much!"

An embarrassed grin formed on her lips. Right, they were still in class. "Eh, revenge?"

Ino made a face and she stared in frustration at her pink-haired friend. "What do you mean?!" she demanded as she took a handkerchief from the palette to wipe off the supplement of maquillage. "I took so much time taking care of you! Didn't you like it?"

Sakura lost her smile immediately. "No, I did like it!" she denied. "It's just… Hmm…" She searched for her words, before deciding that the best way was to show her friend what she had just learnt. "Here, look."

Still upset, Ino read the small conversation Sakura had with her strange True Love, and as realization downed into her, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, you mean to say that I put makeup on your soulmate?!"

"Em, I guess…?" Sakura shrugged. Really, Ino was her hero for that great accomplishment.

"And he called my makeup sloppy?!" she added in an outraged cry.

Sakura nodded with a frown. "I know, right?" How dare he? Her soulmate knew nothing about beauty.

"This kunoichi-classes are really fun, -ttebayo!" Naruto chirped behind them. "Why is it that only girls have to learn this? The boys should do them too!"

Ino rolled her eyes as she turned in Naruto's direction, that Dog person's comment leaving a feeling of irritation in her chest. "We are women, Naruto. Makeup is used mostly for-" Ino's voice stopped abruptly.

Sakura threw an inquisitive look at her friend. Ino's mouth had dropped slightly and her eyes had widened comically. Following her gaze, she saw Naruto with her face painted in Kabuki-style.

"Na-Naruto, what have you done?"

"Um?" Naruto blinked innocently, white paint plastered all over her face as red lines drawn irregularly across her cheeks and nose gave her an aggressive appearance. "I put all the paint on my face like the teacher said."

Ino and Sakura glanced at each other, a similar thought running in their mind.

If their make-up and painting also appeared on their soulmate's faces, then Naruto's soulmate…?

"Oh my God, Naruto!"

"Take this off right now!"

"Whoa-?"

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The day had finally come to an end. As she organized her affairs in her bag, Ino left out a sigh. After the whole fiasco in MakeUp Class, she had to make Naruto promise not to touch anything without her supervision. Unfortunately, in the afternoon, they had lessons of Clothes and DressUp. It had actually gotten worse, and she hadn't thought that to be possible. Apparently, Naruto was a fervent admirer of Kabuki Theatre; since, after painting her face, she also decided to put on a kimono (which was very hard for girls their age to put on without the help of an adult) in order to give them a dance representation.

At first, she had wanted to put a stop to Naruto's whims. However, Ami had started to mock her, which resulted in Sakura joining Naruto in her folly, and, obviously, Ino had to be supportive of her friends, right?

They all ended up wearing kimonos very clumsily, and they gave a show at the top of their table. The rest of the girls in class had cheered on them and applauded them, until the teacher came back to check on the commotion and ordered them to stop their nonsense seeing that it was unacceptable behavior from future kunoichis.

A soft smile formed on her lips. Well, if she had to be honest with herself, it had been quite fun, in the end. Tiring, yes, but at least, they had had a good laugh. And it was always nice to make the bullies shut up.

"Ino, are you coming?"

She looked in the direction of the door, and spotted her two friends waited for her.

Yes, she never got bored with the two of them. Naruto would have weird ideas sometimes, but she was always so funny. As for Sakura, ever since she had started hanging out with Naruto, she had developed more confidence and dared coming out of her shell much more.

"Yeah, coming!" she shouted before joining them.

When she reached the front door, she started to walk side by side with her friends towards the entry of the Academy. With a happy grin, she rolled up her sleeve in order to check the drawing Sai had made for her today. It had become a habit that every day after school, she would find a new drawing of whatever went through her soulmate's mind.

When her aquamarine eyes laid on the lines decorating her wrist, she froze as her chest filled with dread.

Instead of a drawing, three words were written in shaky handwriting.

Shin is dead.

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To be continued

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Hiiiii, dramaaa! Dontkillmeimsorryyyyy!

Sorry for the absence, as I said last chapter I'm very busy with school. I'll be back in the beginning of July hopefully.

"Kabuki-style" makeup is the type of paint Naruto put on his face for his registration photo, you can check it out on Google. Kabuki Theatre is a type of drama play really popular in Japan.

For people asking who Sakura's soulmate is, it will be explicitly revealed soon! Either in the next chapter, or the one after that. The events will take a more "serious" turn from now on, but it will still be mainly fluff and comfort.

Thank you, everyone, for your support, it means so much to me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Until next time!~