Chapter LXVII

Like the Old Times

"Did I get sprayed with fox urine or what?!" I grumble. I tirelessly continue to wash my hands, hoping to get the putrid smell off my skin. I haven't counted the minutes, but I'm sure I've been rubbing my hands frantically for ages. Unable to endure this fragrance imbued on my wrist, I sneaked into the nearest bathroom to get rid of it… To my misfortune, even if I flood my skin with soap and let it simmer for a long time before rinsing it, this awful scent won't go away.

From rubbing so much, my skin is red; wrinkles of humidity appear on my fingers sprayed by the boiling jet of the tap. I think I've completely emptied the soap dispenser… It's indeed the case when I try to clean my hands again, and it refuses me its liberating and atrociously ineffective substance.

I growl. I uselessly press several times on the device exhausted of its contents. I persist like a kid incapable of being told no until I break it. Frustrated, I have no choice but to give up. I turn off the water and dry my hands. I sniff my wrist and push it away from my nose.

What does that mean? The smell hasn't subsided at all. It's similar to Naruto's body odour that soaps can't bury under their fragrance. It persists and makes all the others invisible. Unlike that of my student, that one is much more nauseating and pestilential; a sensory and olfactory pain that burns my nostrils, and I choke on it.

Obviously, there's a suspicious and by no means normal component. No matter how much I analyze the scent, dissect it as best I can … it doesn't resemble anything I know. Since the entire hand soap turned out to be completely useless, I toss the idea of tackling the next bathroom on my way. The infernal perfume keeps me hostage and obsesses me; I want to smell something other than that odious thing. Decided, I'm going to confront this probably senile old woman so that she can explain to me her components of unidentified origin.

I put on my gloves and return to the street where her stall is located. However, once there, the street is empty. I sweep my gaze everywhere, venturing further. After making the trip twice, this woman, like her stall, is not there.

Did I go to the wrong place?

I scan the surroundings like a hawk. Still, I'm sure it's here. Where is this old shrew who ruined my evening?! Especially since I don't have to lug around my feral handbag for once. I'm getting mad. I quicken my pace. I'm determined to find her and confront her. A desire to fuck up these colognes that should be illegal crosses my mind. I want to trash everything, demolish everything, until there's nothing left; at that, I want to jostle her in the carnage that I'm about to commit…

I am blinded by that frenzy devouring me whole. I'm completely furious, unable to calm down. I feel as if my mind is getting more and more confused, and thinking has become complicated, maybe impossible…

"Master Kakashi!" a familiar voice calls out from behind.

"You?" I answer. The flames that were consuming me to the point of making me lose my mind dissipate.

- XxX -

"You don't have to worry, Naruto. It happens to all guys," Shikamaru reassure him, his arms crossed behind his head. "You know, I envy you. Girls are a drag… My mother spends her time yelling at my father. But hey, I guess couples often argue. And personally, seeing my folks bickering all the time makes me wanna stay single."

While the others had already left, Naruto and Shikamaru had stayed since the blond needed a few extra minutes to … "forget" this unfortunate incident, which put him in obvious discomfort. Although Shikamaru explained to him that it was not a big deal and that these things happened, his ears were deaf. Naruto did not like being in this awkward situation and did not know how to react.

One of the humans had made inappropriate advances towards him, and he was not interested at all. Anyway, even if he was in no way ready to engage in this kind of activity, only Kakashi was worthy of making such a request, if that was Kakashi's request. However, Kakashi sometimes sent contradictory signals that greatly disturbed him; sometimes asking for it, sometimes backing away from it…

Naruto did not understand what Kakashi expected of him when Kakashi awakened these desires in him.

As the heat in his crotch left him, Naruto timidly hoisted himself out of the water and shook himself. Ashamed, he avoided the eyes of the other teenager; he could not face him. Despite his obvious embarrassment, his desire to curl up into a ball and disappear, he obeyed Shikamaru's instructions. He focused on Kakashi's promise, which was getting closer and closer, so close that he could touch it with his fingertips.

In the room where he left his things. Naruto rinsed off with a dry towel and put on his clothes. In doing so, he wondered where the others had gone… However, he quickly got his answers when he left this dazzling place reeking of all kinds of overly powerful scents. The humans, who had separated from the group earlier, were there too. Everyone was waiting patiently outside.

Disappointment struck Naruto as he looked around. He hoped to see Kakashi's precious face. A tear raged in his heart, although his sorrow was fleeting. It was not yet time for their inevitable reunion… A crying need to escape screamed in his soul. He wanted to go looking for Kakashi, find Kakashi's trail to rush to Kakashi's sides. But Naruto held back.

For Kakashi to be proud of him, Naruto had to be patient.

The blond obediently followed Shikamaru when they started walking, going somewhere. Once again, he did not listen to the words conveyed and too difficult to understand for his overloaded hearing. He turned his head when they spoke to him, nothing more. The sapphire-eyed boy preferred to observe what was happening around him. Among the others, including Shikamaru and Sakura, Naruto felt sheltered and safe, as if Kakashi was there with him. Humans did not give a nasty, angry look. He felt as if he was invisible; eyes full of violence could no longer see him. He did not understand why and he did not care.

Naruto smiled.

Pleasant and enticing smells gradually invaded Naruto's nostrils. The smells became stronger and stronger as they moved in the direction where they came from. The desire to discover their origin took over; knowing the cause of their existence overwhelmed his curiosity. Naruto's smile increased in intensity as the group stopped in front of the place, from which the intriguing scents emanated. He could not read what was written on the walls and posters, even if he squinted. He was blinded by the polluting and inorganic lights that spoiled his night out … for now. He was convinced that Kakashi would take him away from these painful lights for his pupils when they finally meet again.

Naruto relied on Shikamaru to guide him through his blindness and stayed close to him. He followed the others and entered the building. Murmurs reached his ears and were added to the chaos of sound he had to tolerate. As they slipped between the teeming walls waiting for the perfect moment to asphyxiate him and crush him mercilessly, his heart accelerated. His aching chest was too tight like the walls closing in on him. The teenager closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few seconds. Opening his eyes, the walls were back where they were.

Relieved, he let out a sigh.

They stopped in front of a small open room. At the centre, there was a large table with many objects of all kinds on it. The floor was raised briefly, and there were cushions all around the table. Seeing the group taking off their shoes, Naruto did the same.

Naruto understood that the smells were food-related. This visit to this place was intended to feed humans. The hunger resurfaced and twisted his insides. He hated hunger. He could only very rarely fill it; the pain persisted every day. He was hungry, today like yesterday. The craving for chakra—specifically, Kakashi's electrifying, sweet chakra—obsessed his mind. If it were not for the fact that all the other chakras were foul and repulsive like deadly poison, he would sink his fangs into the nearest chakra vein. Even if this darkness inside him screamed at him to choose a prey to satisfy his hunger, chase away his agonizing suffering, Naruto turned a deaf ear.

He wanted Kakashi's chakra and nothing else.

He preferred to endure hunger rather than silencing it.

This desire crushed this hidden darkness within him.

Naruto was torn from his torment when Shikamaru called him to come and sit around the table. Naruto climbed on all fours and took one of the free seats. He sat, legs crossed, as his tail rested peacefully behind him.

Sakura was to his left, although she was not at the same angle as him. Shikamaru at his right and to the right of the latter, the blonde who answered to the name of Ino. The shy female human, unable to look at him, was in front of him. Besides, he had forgotten her name. In front of Shikamaru was Kiba and to Kiba's right, the mysterious one overloaded with bulky clothes. Then, the human named Chōji was in front of Sakura.

Locking his gaze on Chōji, Naruto felt a voracious hunger as overwhelming as his own. It awakened his hunger for chakra … his need to devour Kakashi's that could silence his hunger. However, his appetite had to wait. He did not want to weaken Kakashi during their nighttime stroll.

Naruto forgot about hunger and Kakashi as the scents of raw flesh reached his nostrils. Shikamaru offered him a transparent glass filled with a suspicious brown liquid, in which solid water was bathed; this strange substance produced worrying bubbles… It made Naruto wary; he stared at the thing that was obviously unfit for consumption.

"It's a soda," Shikamaru clarified, noticing the blond's pout. "If you don't like it, I'll order you something else."

Naruto frowned, unconvinced. Seeing that the others were drinking that liquid identical to his, he decided to dip his lips in it… The texture stung his skin and made his face look disgusted. The taste was sweet, delicious … but the discomfort of being in contact with this strange liquid made him give it back to Shikamaru. Since his instincts told him that it was inedible, he did not understand why humans were willing to ingest this toxic substance into their bodies. Perhaps they were capable of digesting it or were they too stupid to see the obvious danger of it?

"Order him a green tea," Sakura suggested. "According to Kakashi-Sensei, he likes them."

Shikamaru nodded and waited for a waitress to come and make the request. As for Naruto, he heard the crackling of meat being burned by non-existent flames. In response, his eyes focused on the strange and eerie grids on the table. Closer, there were embers that changed from orange to a bright yellow. If it were not for his lightning nature, he would remove the tiny prison fence to play with the embers. He would mix his own flames to create abstract and dancing shapes; a true exotic dance capable of overwhelming one's irises with a pressing need for visual entertainment.

Now Naruto could only gaze with his eyes. He had to keep his distance from the devastation caused by the fiery conflagration.

As he looked around the table, an idea popped into his head.

"Is Naruto still able to eat?" Chōji asked between mouthfuls of pork.

"I don't know to be honest," Shikamaru shrugged. "We haven't really looked into the matter since it's not a need for him, and he's not interested in food."

"I know his food is … different," Chōji corrected. "I mean, eat for the pleasure of eating."

Shikamaru fell into thought. With curiosity, he wondered if Naruto's body could still process ingested food like liquid or chakra… However, he was somewhat intrigued as to how Naruto's body processed chakra after sinking his teeth into Kakashi's forearm…

"Shi… Shikamaru," Hinata called out, pointing at Naruto.

With a smile on his lips, Naruto had stuck the wooden sticks into the barbecue grill and was having fun letting them burn. He impatiently waited for them to catch fire, wagging his tail enthusiastically.

Shikamaru grabbed his wrist and forced him to remove his chopsticks in order to stop a fire disaster.

"Will you stop trying to burn down the place?!" he grumbled, sighing. "You gonna cause me more problems!"

Shikamaru's serious tone forced Naruto to stop. He placed the wooden sticks in front of him and crossed his arms, sulking.

"We really have to keep an eye on you…"

"Again?" Sakura asked.

Knowing what their brother-in-arms was referring to, Ino and Chōji giggled.

"I don't want to talk about it," Shikamaru muttered.

"Shikamaru got in trouble because Naruto destroyed the entire garden of a crying old lady," Ino explained with glee.

This revelation elicited smiles and laughter while Shikamaru glared at his comrade. He did not want them to know about this story, which had left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was still suffering the reprisals of Naruto's destruction on that innocent greenery that had asked for nothing…

"Naruto," Kiba said, catching the blond's attention. "I was wondering… Your hunger for chakra… I mean… Is it good at least?"

This question aroused general interest. A brief silence ensued. They wondered if the chakra he devoured tasted anything, and if his chakra consumption was similar to solid food. This had intrigued them more than once.

"There's no point in asking him questions, he won't—"

Shikamaru's throat tightened as Naruto licked his lips.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kiba chucked, placing thin slices of meat on the fire.

Stunned, Shikamaru was speechless. Naruto could not communicate verbally or non-verbally, or even express himself at all. His only means of communication was his pupils, with which he could create devastating illusions for his eyes. But one thing was certain.

Naruto responded with a gesture.

Naruto had spoken in his own way.

Naruto had communicated.

He fluttered his eyelids like the wings of a fleeing butterfly. Then, Shikamaru smiled as he turned his attention back to his food.

Naruto gradually broke away from his silence. It was obvious. He had been humming strange sounds for some time, according to the Copy Ninja. Naruto had just responded with a gesture… However, Shikamaru doubted and could not be sure. Since Naruto was obsessed with chakra, perhaps this question was within his reach. All in all, Shikamaru remained optimistic. It was good news that he will very soon tell Kakashi.

Naruto's mind was unstimulated, shutting down from boredom. With this useless question, his appetite tugged at him again. He had to stop himself from clutching his chest, in hope to silence the suffering. He hid his neurotic state, a hair away from starting to shake, even though he was tapping his fingers.

He had to keep himself busy, think about something else. The painful urge to bite tickled his fangs ready for action; the feeling was an agonizing tingling that he could never get used to. This darkness in him pushed against the bars of its cage, which gave way a bit more after each blow. Even if he focused on the image of Kakashi, on the smell of Kakashi and the voice of Kakashi, his brain surrendered to that darkness in spite of himself.

Why did these damn humans always have to remind him of his hunger for chakra, while he tried so hard to banish that darkness within himself so as not to let it take control of his own will?

His anxious and wandering eyes ended up landing on Kiba, the person to blame for his hunger. He noticed that his eyes were impatiently watching the scorching flesh on the nightmare metal. A vengeful idea took hold.

If he could not satisfy his hunger, neither could this human.

His bluish irises were pinned on this soon-to-be-cooked meat. When Kiba grabbed the pieces of wood, Naruto hurried to do the same with his own. Strangely, he instinctively knew how to use them. Without thinking much, he took Shikamaru's plate and without the slightest shame, he quickly snatched away each piece tanned by the embers. He quickly stacked the pieces on this white porcelain plate.

His sudden and impromptu gesture caught the attention of the group, now silent and intrigued as to what Naruto was doing, and what he intended to do with it. Once the meat was collected, Naruto returned the dish to its original place, in front of Shikamaru; at that, he resumed his nonchalant posture, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Am I dreaming or did you just steal my meat?!" Kiba sharply accused, stunned.

With his nose in the air, Naruto completely ignored him. Shikamaru sighed, passing a hand behind his head. He took the dish to give the food back. "Here…"

In response, without even looking away, Naruto grabbed Shikamaru's wrist and forced him to put the plate back on the table.

The feral boy's intentions now crystal clear, Kiba clenched his fist. "Eh-oh…" Angry, he jumped up, ready to demand reparation… However, he was stopped by Shino, who held him once again. "You're a pain in the ass, Naruto! Give me back my meat!"

"Kiba, calm down…"

"HE DOES IT ON PURPOSE!" he shouted when he saw the smirk on Naruto's face. "HE DOES ANNOY ME ON PURPOSE!"

"Calm down!" Shino insisted. "You're going to have us thrown out!"

Laughter resonated. Kiba had no choice but to calm down despite a petty Naruto who took pleasure in annoying him.

Seeing Kiba getting on his high horse and not being able to do anything thanks to the invisible barrier provided by Shikamaru, Naruto held back laughter, and his smile increased in intensity.