Chapter 19
Wham!
My fist struck hard into the trunk of the tree, knuckles pulsating with pain. Still, I didn't stop. I justified it as training but really, I was just taking out my frustrations on it. Frustration from the day before, at how things turned out but mostly at myself. Itachi had been right. I was too immature and far, far too weak to have actually achieved anything I had set out to do. It was a halfhearted, half baked attempt to alter the course of events that nearly blew up in everyone's faces.
Another dull thud, the hardest one yet as I struck the tree once more. The bark cracking under the weight of the blow. I grimaced, pulling back my fist and observing the damage. It hurt worse than it appeared. There was some blood but it was very light, the damage merely amounting to some scuff marks. A bit of soap and maybe a bandage would be more than enough.
I punched again. Almost envisioning my own face plastered on the tree. "Stupid. Idiot. Moron." I admonished myself more with each strike. My muscles were starting to scream at the effort but I forced myself to continue. I was wearing my weights again and suppressing my chakra at the same time so each strike was slow and laboured. A small voice in the back of my mind told me it was stupid to keep this up, that I would be too exhausted for the rest of the day but I was far too angry at myself to listen.
I continued until I couldn't throw a proper punch anymore. Instead of waiting to rest up a bit I took off for a run. Heavy footsteps thumping away as I made my way down the road. It wasn't long before my legs too were screaming at me. But it wasn't enough to stop me, I knew how much I could take and a run around the block was well within my limits. Over and over I replayed my conversation with Itachi in my mind, more and more did my frustration grow. Pushing myself harder to compensate for the feelings.
Coming up to the front of my house I stumbled to a stop, the weights carrying my momentum further than I had wanted to. I was panting hard, lungs on fire and sweat pouring like a fire hose off my face. I limped into the backyard and allowed myself to flop onto the cool grass. Well, allowed wasn't really the word, I just did. The cool morning dew felt refreshing as my mind turned inward and ignited my chakra. Instantly power flowed throughout my body bringing a wave of relief. It didn't clear up the pain and exhaustion immediately but after a few minutes I'd be in good enough shape to continue.
After that, I finished up with my chakra and jutsu practice before heading inside. My head surprisingly clear now that I was too tired to keep worrying about what happened for the moment.
"My word!" Mom said with horror as I entered the house, "Look at you, you're absolutely drenched!" I looked down at my shirt, it was so damp that I may as well have been out in the rain. With a huff, Mom pointed towards the bathroom. "Shower. Now." She commanded. I didn't argue.
"So Meiko," Mom asked shortly after we sat down for breakfast, "How did it go yesterday? You were out really late. If your father hadn't been cooped up with work he might have gone looking for you." I wasn't sure whether to laugh at or dread the idea. I could still very easily recall the rampage he went on a few years back. Even several shinobi couldn't pin him down completely. I really had no idea where he got that strength from. He was a blacksmith, not a ninja. Was working metal that great of a workout?
"Sorry about that." I apologized, trying to think of what I was going to say. I definitely couldn't be completely honest, especially regarding the Itachi stuff. But maybe if I just gave a basic overview of things. "Naruto was held up after class, I'm not sure why." I began to explain, slowly recalling the less exciting events of the day. "I figured he was going to be a while so I ended up leaving with someone else who knew of a good spot to get snacks."
"Ah, so you were out with Kiyomi then? That would explain why you were so late." Mom mused, thinking she had it all figured out.
My head was already shaking no before I even thought of just rolling with her explanation. "Nice one, idiot." I grumbled internally. "No, I went with someone named Sasuke. He's in Naruto's class." I corrected and then doubly regretted not just going with what she had said as that Cheshire grin spread across her face again.
"Ooooh?" She taunted, "Another boy perhaps?"
"Argh!" I screamed in my head as I regretfully nodded. "Yeah, I met him when I was training with Misaki last month." I continued on, recounting most of our trip until it got to the point that we went to Shisui's house. That, and anything regarding him I left out. Instead I simply said we ended up going to Sasuke's house and he got in a bit of trouble for bringing me in uninvited. I said I was stuck there for a while before the two of us were able to leave and just did some shuriken training where I lost track of time.
Mom eyed me somewhat suspiciously, I couldn't tell if she was seeing through the ruse or just trying to see how she could tease me more. Remembering how she said I was like an open book to her I put on the best poker face I could. I wonder if that in of itself was a giveaway.
"Soooo," She finally said, still keeping that smug, cat-like smile up, "Who's cuter? Naruto or this Sasuke?"
"MOM!" I shouted.
The rest of breakfast passed by uneventfully, once Mom had stopped laughing that was. Admittedly, I felt a little better afterwards. Mom's teasing helping ot alleviate my mood a bit. We left soon after, arriving someone early again at the academy gates. I said my goodbyes to her and Sengo and waltzed in. There were two types of students here at this hour. The eager ones and the one's forced in by circumstance. It was easy enough to tell the difference, the former were awake and energetic while the latter ranged from half-awake to near zombie-like. Seeing them was enough to get a yawn out of me.
To my surprise, the first of my friends to arrive was actually Naruto. Honestly a good thing too, I had brought the pack of senbei crackers with me and they were taunting me with their very existence. The sooner I could pass them on, the sooner I could shake off these cravings.
As usual, the moment Naruto stepped onto the property people instantly began to stare at him. Some likely slinging insults under their breath and other stupid crap. You'd think they'd have gotten used to the fact he was a student by now. Although Naruto paid them no mind, he appeared to be in quite the good mood as he happily made his way over to the lone swing.
"Hey Naruto." I called out, intercepting him.
"Meiko!" He called back, his smile growing to a massive grin as he ran over. "Hey! How are you doing? You're gonna be free tonight, right?" Naruto asked, anticipation sparkling in his bright blue eyes. It took a second for me to remember I had promised to hang out with him today after class.
"Oh, right. Yeah." I confirmed with a nod. I had been thinking I would just go home and try to brainstorm what I could do with my new limitations. But I did promise him and breaking that would tear him apart. Maybe taking the afternoon to relax might be good for me anyways, help to clear my head. "Looking forward to it." I added with a smile, only slightly forced.
"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, jumping high into the air and pumping his fist. "Alright! This is gonna rock! Believe it!"
I chuckled, "Oh, also," I said, lifting the bag of rice crackers, "These are for you. Sorry they're in a bit of rough shape. I... accidentally dropped it."
Naruto was taken aback, looking at the bag of treats with confusion and growing awe. "Wait, what do you mean?" He questioned.
"Well," I started, suddenly feeling self conscious about the whole thing, "Remember when you helped carry me when I hurt my leg the other day? Its just my way of saying thanks. They're zarame senbei."
Naruto's gaze slowly traced from me and back to the bag in my hand. Cautiously, he took it from me. His eyes shimmering as he fought back tears. "H-Hey, are you alright?" I asked, worried that he may have hated senbei crackers. "I'm sorry, I should have asked if it was something you liked. I'll find something else just give me a bit of ti-"
"No one has ever given me anything before." Naruto cut me off, not intentionally as it felt like he hadn't heard a thing I stammered there. "I mean, Iruka-sensei sometimes treats me to Ichiraku Ramen but I've... Never gotten a gift before." He sniffled, quickly wiping his eyes. A gigantic smile returning to his face as he pulled it package in close, clutching it like it was the most precious thing in the world. "Thanks a lot! I love it."
I couldn't quite think of what to say or do in response. In fact, it was taking quite a lot of effort to not hug the poor kid. I couldn't even imagine what it must have been like, to be moved to tears over some half broken crackers. Any doubts I had about hanging out after classes was blown away in that instant. I also noted that I should figure out when his birthday was.
"By the way..." He then asked with an awkward touch to his voice, "What are these anyway?"
Laughter burst out uncontrollably from me, quickly gaining it back under control as Naruto demanded to know what was so funny. Cheeks flaring pink from embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry," I apologized, pinching myself to keep from laughing further. "They're zarame senbei, sugar coated rice crackers. They're delicious I can vouch for that."
"Oh!" Naruto's excitement quickly returning as he tried to open the bag, struggling for a few seconds with the ribbon. I then realized that there might be a bit of an issue, on top of them being broken as they were.
"Ah, I'm sorry if they're stale." I apologized, "I bought them yesterday."
Naruto paid my warning no heed as he finally got the bag open, simply tearing a hole through the thin plastic, pullng out a piece about a quarter size of a full cracker and chomping down. I inhaled sharply, waiting on baited breath for the verdict.
"These are so good!" Naruto shouted, mouth still full and sending crumbs spitting at my face. I swatted at them like an annoying fly. Naruto quickly apologizing before shoving another fraction of a cracker into his gullet.
"Glad to hear it." I replied.
Shortly after that, more familiar faces began to stream in. Kiyomi first today. I didn't even notice her approaching me until she had literally jumped on my back, causing me to stagger and nearly bump into Naruto.
"Got you!" She shouted happily into my ear, a bit too loudly as it was left ringing for the next few minutes. "H-Hey Kiyomi." I said trying to throw her off but she held tight.
"Hello!" Naruto mumbled, more crumbs spewing out.
"Oh, hi Naruto." Kiyomi said as if she just noticed he was there. "Whatcha got there?" She asked, looking to the nearly empty bag now.
"Senbei!" Again, crumbs were launched as projectiles, words nearly unintelligible. He took a moment to swallow before adding, "Meiko got them for me."
"What!?" She shouted again, deafening my other ear this time before playfully tapping me with a fist on the head, "And you didn't get me anything!?"
"Sorry!" I apologized as she finally released me.
Mana arrived a few minutes later, or earlier I couldn't be certain. Quiet as a mouse she was just kind of there all of a sudden. When we finally noticed, Naruto and I both jumped. Kiyomi laughing like a maniac as she apparently had noticed the girl's approach. Of course, Mana just stood there confused.
We chatted for a few more minutes until the first bell rang. We were about to start heading inside when I recalled what I wanted to ask my friends. "Hey guys, do you want to hang out after class? Naruto and I were going to if you want to join in."
Mana's face lit up, nodding enthusiastically with an adorable little "Yep!" Although it came out more like a yip. Then, her face quickly fell. "Wait, I can't. Granmama is coming over today." She said sadly.
Kiyomi too appeared excited to hang out again for the first time in a long while but it was quickly replaced with a sour look. "Ugh, I want to." She groaned with irritation, "But I can't. I have to go straight home. Mom says if I want to have the sleepover I need to clean my room."
"Aw, sorry guys." I said, disappointed.
"Sleepover?" Naruto asked, curious and eager.
"Girls only!" Kiyomi quickly dashed any hope for him to join in, wagging a finger in front of his face.
"Well, I didn't want to join anyway! You'd probably just do a bunch of... girl things and stuff!" He scoffed, trying to save face.
"Oh yeah, all the girl stuff." I laughed and we made our way to our classrooms.
Most of the day passed by surprisingly quick. In order to keep the class a bit more engaged, especially in math, Mizuki had us participate in group games. Simple things like Match 2 or word games relating to the day's topic. Kiyomi of course, was constantly challenging me and sadly, she trounced me in most of them. Although I had some catharsis when Rei joined our play group and subjected Kiyomi to a no-holds barred beatdown.
Lunch was a bit more interesting. As usual I ate together with Kiyomi and Mana while Rei and Shun joined us. Shun unveiling a massive mountain of a lunch packed to the brim with meats. I was most definitely jealous.
Shortly after I had finished eating however, Sasuke approached the group. To my surprise he wanted to take me up on my offer from yesterday to do so training during the lunch break. He had even gotten permission to use some training kunai, something we weren't even allowed to use in class yet. Honestly I had almost forgotten about that. The offer was more of an off-hand comment to assure him everything was going to be alright and back to normal tomorrow. Still, I wasn't one to say no to a good bout of training. My muscles had mostly recovered by this point anyway so it should be fine.
Kiyomi wasn't exactly pleased. Both from learning I had 'blown her off' to hang out with Sasuke but that I was now going to be training with yet another Uchiha. I knew she was the competitive type but this really felt like it went deeper. Perhaps some kind of inter-clan rivalry? But if that was the case then wouldn't Ino be on Sasuke's case too?
In order to keep a fight from breaking out as the two clashed words, something Shun seemed way, way too darn eager for I jumped in and did my best to mediate. The end result was everyone joining in on the session to Sasuke's dismay. Things got even more hectic when Naruto finally managed to escape from his classroom to join us. Sparks flying between him, Kiyomi and Sasuke once more.
As the lunch hour neared it's end, Kiyomi and Naruto really got into a competition. Kiyomi was trouncing the poor guy but Naruto wasn't one to give up. Sasuke took the opportunity, tapping me on the shoulder and motioning to a small group of trees where we could talk in private.
"Finally, I thought I'd never get some peace and quiet." He bemoaned as we moved out of sight.
"Sorry about that, Kiyomi is very... competitive." I said with a chuckle, "But she means well."
"Are you sure about that?" Sasuke questioned, quite skeptical after what he had seen, "All she seems to do is yell and get violent." Laughing again, he had a bit of a point. Recalling back on orientation day where Kiyomi had allowed her emotions to get the better of her and thus, was fooled by Sasuke's clone. Heck, it seemed that lately Kiyomi had been quite a lot more competitive.
"I wonder what's up. I'll have to ask later." I made a mental note while laughing a bit more. "She does seem to have it out for you, huh? During the class introductions she did say she was aiming to be the top of the year. Maybe she sees you as a rival for that?"
"Great, another annoyance." Sasuke groaned, rolling his eyes.
"So," I said with a bit more serious of a tone, steering the conversation more to what I assumed Sasuke had dragged me out here for in the first place. "How were things on your end? You know, after I left?"
Sasuke's expression stiffened for a moment, then contorted into a grimace. "Well, after you left I tried to convince father to take back your banishment... But he just wouldn't listen." He clicked his tongue in frustration. "After that, I had to clean the entire dojo, top to bottom by hand." That must have been quite the task. I remember the Uchiha dojo being quite large. Sasuke had probably been stuck in there for the rest of the evening.
"The worst part is that because I'm grounded, I can't do any training for the next week!" Sasuke almost shouted his frustrations to the sky. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing but still couldn't quite stifle it. A choking snort still managed to escape. "What's so funny!?" Sasuke demanded.
"Sorry, its just," I continued snickering nigh uncontrollably, "You'd think the punishment would be extra training. I think you're the only one who's punishment is having that taken away." Well, that wasn't entirely true. I had a feeling that my folks would place a very similar punishment on me should I get grounded. Something they'd definitely do if they ever learned what happened yesterday. And considering how much just one day without my weights left me feeling...
"Actually yeah, that sounds pretty horrible." I quickly added in.
Sasuke chuckled, "Well, how about you?" He asked, Itachi's face and especially the blood red of his sharingan flashed over my eyes.
"It was fine really," I lied, steadying my breath to do my best and not allow a hint of falsity in my voice. "Your brother just escorted me out and I went home." I said as I plastered on a light and hopefully reassuring smile. "Oh, Mrs. Urushi did give me a free bag of senbei too." I added, "Its too bad I won't be able to see her again."
"Crap." I hadn't intended to add that last line.
Sasuke's face immediately darkened, "I'm sorry. I'll keep trying to get my father to change his mind."
"Nonono! Don't worry about it!" I scrambled, waving my hands in front of me. "Its not your fault-"
"Yes it is." Sasuke cut me off, "If I hadn't pressed to go into that house, none of that would have happened."
It was certainly hard to refute that point, at least not without going into unnecessary detail. "Yeah, well..." I said, scratching the back of my head, "I could have done more to stop you. We're both at fault in the end so, don't beat yourself up about it."
The bell signalled the end of lunch and time to head back to class. Looking to Sasuke again, I gave him another smile. "Well, I'll see you next time. Maybe then we can get a proper training session in." My lips curled further, the smile becoming more of a smug grin, "Next time my shuriken jutsu will blow you away."
"You wish." Sasuke chuckled back. "...Next time then."
The rest of the day was rather uneventful, save of course for the Kunoichi class at the end of the day. Although that was just us going to a nearby flower field and making flower crowns. A strange class to say the least and something I felt I was not going to be suited for. Mana on the other hand, turned out to be quite deft at the art.
Once we returned to the classroom, Mizuki-sensei said his closing remarks and wished us safe travel home signalling the end of the day.
Kiyomi moaned, slumping into her desk behind me. Packing her things up purposefully slow and grumbling the entire time. "This sucks." She groaned as we were leaving. "You get to have all the fun."
"Looking forward to the sleepover!" I called to her with a devious chuckle, knowing she would get me back for that tomorrow. Quickly running out of the room with a wave before anything could come flying in my direction.
I stopped outside of class 1A, peering inside to see that, once again, Naruto was getting lectured by Iruka. This time however he was fighting back.
"Come on Sensei!" He shouted, some of his classmates snickering at his misfortune. "It was just a little nap! I already stood in the hall!"
"You shouldn't be napping at all!" Iruka shouted back, his irritation palpable from the hallway.
"This might be a while." I mumbled, figuring I would just go wait outside. Although just as I started moving, Naruto called out again.
"But Sensei!" Naruto pleaded, "I'm busy today! I have to go and meet a friend!"
"You should have thought of that before then." Iruka replied, his voice carrying a hefty tone of disbelief.
Feeling that was my cue, I rapped my knuckle against the doorframe. Every head in the room snapped in my direction, although there were only a few stragglers at this point. "Um, hello." I said with a small wave, Naruto's face lighting up.
"Meiko!" He called before turning to Iruka, "See! I told you!"
Iruka was clearly surprised that Naruto was telling the truth in this situation and wasn't just trying to come up with an excuse to get out of his punishment. He clearly recognized the two of us and quickly regained his composure. "Hello, can I help you?"
"Just wanted to let Naruto know I'll be waiting outside." I replied. The small group still in the room gasped and immediately began gossiping among themselves. I didn't recognize any of them so I simply ignored them.
"Huh? Oh, okay." Naruto replied before suddenly switching to anger, "Wait you're not going to help!?" He quickly followed up, trying to push past his teacher who clonked him over the head with a solid knuckle.
Winching, I waved again with one hand while the other was held apologetically in front of my face. "Please don't keep him too long, sensei." I said. There wasn't much else I could do so with a quick bow and another apologetic look I darted out of sight.
"Well then," I said to no one in particular as I stepped outside. People were quickly filing out, eager to embrace their fleeting freedom for the day. Since I figured I would be waiting a while I hopped onto that lonely swing and made myself comfortable.
As I lazily rocked back and forth, watching the crowd slowly thin my mind began to wander. Without the business of the day to distract me I found myself reflecting back onto last night once again. The memory of Itachi materializing before my eyes. Dyed in orange and black from the light of the setting sun once again.
"You're too weak to be of any use to me." His words echoed in my mind.
The frustration I felt early this morning had faded and in it's place was only acceptance. I was a fool. Weak and stupid. And now I had no idea what to do. Itachi told me to leave things to him and I had agreed, yet it still didn't feel right. I didn't want to sit back and do nothing. But what else was there? I was too weak to do anything about it directly and I couldn't speak about it either. It was a great mercy that I got off with that much. Did he expect me to make a move on my own? But then, why didn't he say anything? The only thing he really expected of me from his little 'proposal' was to keep being a friend to Sasuke. Sure, that was something I could do. And would even if he hadn't asked. But was that truly enough?
I looked to the sky as I continued to swing. My mind shifting to thoughts of Misaki. My friend, teacher and honorary sister. "What can I do?" I mumbled yet nothing came to mind. I certainly couldn't act as recklessly as I did before. I cursed myself, cursed these memories I was so desperate to retain. Why did I have them? Why could I remember who I was? Was there a purpose to it all? Or was it just to make me suffer? To know what is to come and be helpless to stop it.
My head drooped towards the ground as I sighed heavily. Things would have been so much simpler, so much easier if I had just been born (reborn?) a normal kid. No worrying about clan massacres, about giant monster attacks, just enjoying my life in ignorant bliss...
"HEY! MEIKO!"
"KYAH!?" I screamed, flailed and fell off the swing. My head crashing hard onto a thick root jutting out of the ground. Crying out in pain as I rolled back and forth on the ground clutching my head and feeling a bump quickly develop.
"Bwahahahaha!" The voice that startled me laughed manically, "You should have seen your face!" Through teary eyes Naruto's form came into view. "You're face was all like 'bwah!'" Naruto began flailing around in a pale imitation of what had just happened.
My teeth creaked as I ground them together, both from pain and a quickly building rage. Slowly, oh so slowly, I rose up. "Na. Ru. To." I said just as slowly, each syllable bleeding out my mouth. "What's the big idea?"
The laughter stopped as the boy sensed impending danger. "W-Well I tried to get your attention but you were ignoring me... So I was just... And then..."
"And then?" I pressed in closer, the throbbing pain on the back of my head screaming for vengeance.
"Uhh..." Sweat began to pour down his face as Naruto backed up further. "A-Are you okay?"
I planted a foot hard into the ground, standing only a foot away from a quivering Naruto. Taking in a deep breath I looked him in the eyes, a wicked grin on my face. "Yeah, but you won't be!" I shouted and lunged forward. Naruto screamed, leaping out of the way at the last moment and began running. "Come here you little brat!" I called after him as I gave chase.
Screams quickly turned to laughs as the chase devolved into more of a game and I allowed myself to be lost in the moment. The two of us running around like a couple idiots until I was finally able to catch Naruto. Lightly hopping onto his back in the same way Kiyomi often did to me. Although apparently I came in with a bit too much force as Naruto was quickly thrown to the ground.
"Gah!" He cried out in shock as we both crashed down. "Ugh, get off me! You're freaking heavy!" He wheezed, struggling to crawl away.
"Hey! I am not!" I shouted back, but pushed myself off him all the same.
Sitting himself across from me, Naruto brushed some dirt out of his hair, "Seriously, how the heck do you weight that much? It was like I buried under a pile of bricks!"
"I am not that heavy!" I practically screamed with face flushed red. "Its because of these!"
pulled down the band on my left arm revealing the metal weight underneath. "I'm not heavy its the training weights!" I desperately reiterated.
"Training weights?" Naruto repeated, eyeing them like a cat as he crawled over to get a closer look. Obliging him, I removed the cover, revealing the entire thing. The plated metal weight running almost the entire length of my forearm. He poked it a couple times warily, as though it might jump off and bite him if he wasn't careful. "Why are you wearing them when you're not training?" Naruto rightly questioned.
"That's the secret." I replied with a mischievous grin, "If I wear these, then I'm always training."
"No way!" Naruto shouted so loud and close I had to plug my ears, "That's so smart! You gotta let me try! Can I try!? Please!?"
"Weren't you just complaining about how heavy they are?" I asked slyly.
"No, I was saying how heave you we-" Naruto wisely cut himself off at the sound of one of my knuckles coincidentally cracking at that moment, "I mean I was just surprised is all. Heh heh..." A large beat of sweat rolled down his cheek as he scratched his head.
I took a moment to consider it, figuring it wouldn't hurt for him to try at least. "Alright, just be careful." I said as I released the clasp with a loud click and motioned for Naruto to hold out his arm. "Give me a second, I need to adjust it." Naruto's arms were a bit thicker than my own so I needed to loosen the belts while still supporting the weight. The thing could easily crush a toe were I to drop it after all.
Once it was firmly secured, I looked to Naruto. "Okay, ready? I'm going to let go on three so brace yourself." Naruto nodded confidently and I began the countdown.
"3... 2... 1..."
I removed my hand and instantly the weight and his arm fell to to the ground with a loud crash.
"GAH!" He shouted as a small cloud of dirt puffed up around him. Struggling, he straightened up his back the best he could but needed to use his other arm to help support the weighted one. "Geez! What is this thing made of!? How do you carry this around all the time!?" He shouted at me while trying to raise his arm as high as possible.
A pained smile crossed my face as memories of the last month flashed through my mind. "You get used to it." I said, quickly wiping the pained smile from my face and replacing it with a more genuine one. "Its easier with chakra reinforcement though. That's how I can keep it on all day at least without getting too tired."
"Chakra reinforcement?" Naruto asked, forgetting for a moment about the weight and thus, his arm dropped hard again with a cry from him. Apparently multitasking really wasn't a skill of his at the moment. I was a bit surprised he was unaware of the concept though. I thought for sure Iruka would have mentioned it in his classes too.
"Yeah, like, using your chakra to strengthen your body. Didn't Iruka-sensei say anything about it in class?" I asked while reaching forward and removing the clamp, freeing Naruto's arm.
"Uhh, I dunno." Naruto mumbled, rubbing his forearm, "I might have... fallen asleep for that one..." His mumbling only increased as his volume decreased.
I laughed and reapplied the weight to my arm. "And that's why Iruka-sensei keeps you after class. You should pay closer attention in class."
"But its so boring!" Naruto retorted. "Who cares about chakra theory or that stuff. Its not like I'll understand it anyway." He pouted, arms crossed. There was a certain self-deprecation to that statement.
"Hey, don't be like that." I said reassuringly and getting to my feet. "I'm sure you can. It might be hard but that just means you need to work harder, right?" I offered a hand to help him up.
Naruto looked up to me, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Well yeah! You don't have to tell me twice!" Taking my hand, I hoisted him up to his feet. "I'll show you! I'll work so hard you won't believe it! Believe it!"
I choked on a laugh at that. "Sure, how about you start by staying awake in class then?"
"Hey!"
This time it was my turn to run. Although it was a short chase. The two of us finally leaving the academy grounds and heading down the street. "Man, how can you run like that with those weights on?" He asked as we came to a corner, stopping to allow a procession of carts go by.
"I told you, chakra reinforcement." I replied, "When I'm doing more serious training though, I don't use it. Then these things get really heavy."
Naruto's face scrunched up a bit as he contemplated something. "Hey..." He asked tentatively, "You think you could show me how to do it? You know, that chakra refinement thingy."
"Reinforcement." I replied as the last cart passed and we could cross. "And well, I don't know." I was hesitant of course, I was no teacher nor expert on the matter. Heck the only reason I was able to use chakra reinforcement was thanks to Misaki literally beating it into me. I don't think that was the kind of teaching Naruto was looking for.
"Please! Come on! You gotta help me out here!" He begged.
Maybe I was just weak to that sort of thing, but I found myself sighing, "I'll think about it. Its not like I'm a teacher or anything. And, well, the only method I know is... brutal."
"I can take it! I'm tougher than I look! Believe it!" Naruto replied confidently, a confidence I wasn't sure would hold out against Misaki's training regimen.
"Like I said, I'll think about it. I'll need to ask the person who taught me in the first place for some tips." I reiterated. Naruto then quickly taking my hand and shaking it.
"Its a promise then!" He chuckled.
The two of us continued walking aimlessly for a time, idly chatting away about random topics until we found ourselves on the main street. Crowds of people moved up and down the streets as peddlers hawked their goods. The day market was in full swing and was probably the most lively the village was on an average day.
"So," I asked, having to shout a bit over the crowd, "What do you want to do?" Naruto's response was to look at me as though I was the one with the plan for the day. Apparently neither of us had anything in mind. "Well then, what do you normally do during the day?"
"Hmm..." Naruto hummed, throwing his arms behind his head as we marched down the street. "I dunno. I just kinda wander around and kill time or train." He replied. While he said it like it was nothing, it only made me realize more just how alone he had been. He didn't really do anything because there was nothing to do, not with anyone at least.
I wasn't exactly one to initiate things either. That was Kiyomi's role, or more accurately she never let anyone else have the chance. Which worked for me quite fine. But Kiyomi wasn't here now. "Well..." I said, looking around, "I guess we should try and find something?" I really sucked at this. But Naruto just seemed happy to have the company.
"Oh!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, startling me as he ran off towards a store. "Check it out Meiko!" He called to me, picking something up off one of the display stands. He held a large white and red diamond shaped object with a cloth dangling from two edges. A replica of the Hokage's hat. "What do you think?" He asked, tipping it back with a thumb and looking at me expectantly.
"Oh, Lord Hokage! I didn't see you there!" I said with a chuckle, opting to humour the boy.
Naruto was absolutely beaming, "Hehe, oh come check it out. There's some neat things here!" He called me over while rubbing his nose.
The place was a small souvenir shop. A literal nook in the wall establishment. The entire place couldn't be more than eight square meters. Goods were packed in tight and almost eclectically placed on shelves, displays and some even hanging from the ceiling. The street wasn't safe either, additional displays lined the front of the store to entice potential buyers inside. It was one of those that caught Naruto's attention and indeed, a few of them were stocked with goods aimed at children who would inevitably pull their parents along.
The two of us, drawn in by curiosity, started to do some window shopping. I found myself looking at a set of key chains adorned with various animals. Toads, bears, slugs weirdly enough but what drew my attention most was the monkeys. Sengo had recently taken a liking to monkeys after Mom had brought home a new story book. It reminded me his birthday was in a few months and I should start thinking of something to get for him.
"Whatcha looking at?" Naruto said, suddenly appearing behind me. The large Hokage replica hat nearly poking my eye unintentionally. I explained that I was trying to get an idea for a birthday gift for Sengo when another voice called to us.
"Is there anything I can help you two with?" The voice asked. The two of us turned to see a man standing nearby, middle-aged and wearing a shirt with the same logo as the shop. Probably the owner. He had that kindly, salesman smile on his face and hands clasped together. "I see you have taken a liking to that hat, it is one of our most popular items." Even though we were only kids the man was in full merchant mode.
"Oh." Naruto said with small surprise, as though he forgot he was still wearing the hat. Carefully removing it, he held it to the man. "Sorry, I don't have any money." He apologized.
The change was instant. His merchant smile wiped away and replaced with scowling rage. "You!?" He shouted, causing both of us to flinch. "Get out of my store!" Swiping the hat violently away from Naruto, "How dare you try to steal from me! Get out now before I call the authorities and never come back!"
"Hey! I didn't try to steal anything!" Naruto retorted, "I was going to put it back!"
"Shut up!" The man shouted back, clearly in no mood to listen to anything Naruto had to say.
I stepped in front of my friend before things could escalate further. "I'm sorry, we were just browsing. We had no intention to steal anything." I explained calmly, peeking over my shoulder to a raging Naruto and giving him a small nod. It seemed to be enough to calm him down at least.
"You a friend of this... brat?" The man asked, seeming to settle down himself.
I nodded back. "Yes. Again, we're sorry for the misunderstanding."
"Bull." He replied, anger flaring in his eyes again. "Let me guess, you're in on it too? Can't imagine why you'd be 'friends' with him otherwise."
"Excuse me!?" I shouted back. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew Naruto was hated but most people simply shunned him, some got confrontational but to accuse him of theft!? And to assume I was an accomplice because I was his friend!? It was too much.
"Hey! We didn't steal anything! We just wanted to look around okay!?" Naruto started shouting again, much angrier this time and I couldn't blame him. Still, we were causing a scene. People stopping outside the shop to stare. Their faces scrunching up as if they saw something disgusting once they realized who was involved.
"Its him again."
"Typical."
"Why doesn't anyone do something about him?"
And there it was, the useless gossip and fear mongering. Naruto and the shop keeper were still arguing, tempers flaring hotter and hotter with each passing second. It was time to go.
"Alright! Fine!" I yelled as loud as I could, the enclosed area helping to amplify my voice. The arguing ceased instantly and I grabbed Naruto's hand. "Come on Naruto. Let's get out of here."
"Wait, but?" Naruto protested out of confusion as I began dragging him along.
"Good. I don't ever want to see your faces again. No good brats, the village would be better without you." The man said angrily as he watched us leave.
Naruto pulled back on my arm, determined to give the man a piece of his mind. He certainly deserved it but I pulled back harder, pulling Naruto to my side. "Don't." I commanded, biting the inside of my lip hard to keep my own emotions under control. "Its not worth it."
"Meiko?" Naruto asked, confused as I started walking again. The temptation to kick over one of his display units was nearly irresistible. The people watching outside parted allowing us passage and I lead the boy down a nearby side alley to get out of public view. Emerging on a back street that was more private.
"Gah! I can't believe that jerk!" Naruto shouted, punching the stone wall then crying out in pain.
"Yeah..." I said, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Does that sort of thing happen often?"
Naruto fell silent for a moment, shaking his hand to clear some of the pain. His knuckles slightly red from the impact. "Mmm." He nodded, the pain evident in his eyes. "People always think I'm trying to steal or break something if I get too close to their stores. But I'd never do that!" He said, shoulders slumping.
"I know," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "I can't imagine how hard that must be. I'm sorry."
"Uh... Thanks." Naruto replied, turning away so I couldn't see his face. After a moment, something caught his attention and he ran off without a word. Confused, I followed after him. We hadn't run bar before Naruto dove into the shadow of a building. Peeking around the corner at something further down the street before waving me to his side while covering his mouth with a single finger.
Taking a position by his side, I peered around the corner myself to try and see what he was so interested in. The street was mostly empty and unremarkable. These buildings were mostly the backs of the shops on main street mixed with residential housing. Other than some scaffolding where some roof repairs were being done, there was really nothing remarkable to my eye.
"What's up?" I asked but was shushed.
"Hehehe, I got an idea. Wait here." Naruto replied, a devious grin on his face. Doing as I was told, I watched as Naruto waited for the coast to be clear and dart out. Moving from shadow to shadow with surprising skill, heading towards the renovation site. There was a single person there at the time but he soon stepped inside the building. The moment he vanished from sight, Naruto made his move.
He dashed out and quickly started grabbing some objects. "Naruto no!" I whisper yelled but he definitely couldn't hear me. The boy was quick though, in a matter of seconds Naruto had what he wanted and was dashing back, a lot less careful on his escape than going in. He carried two cans of pain, one in each hand and had two large brushes clenched in his teeth.
Naruto dove back into the safety of the shadows beside me and placed the cans on the ground with loud thunks. "Hehehehe, check this out!" Naruto said, holding a brush towards me. "What do you say we go get that jerk back? See how he likes it!" Naruto's eyes were sparkling as he looked to me expectantly. A potential partner in crime.
"Naruto..." I said unsteadily, eyes locked on the stolen brush held before me. "You... You can't do that."
You'd think I had just kicked his dog.
"Huh? But why?" Naruto replied, equal parts hurt and confused. "He deserves it! Especially after what he said to you!"
"About me?" I asked.
"Yeah. I'm used to this sort of thing. But..." Naruto fell quiet for a moment as a myriad of emotions crossed over his face in rapid succession. "You didn't do anything wrong. You shouldn't be dragged down just because you're with me. I can't let him get away with that!"
"Naruto..." I muttered, feeling my face warm at that. He was angry at the store owner, rightly so, but more than that, he was far more incensed on my behalf. He was sticking up for me, though going about it in the wrong way. It was a nice feeling regardless.
"You still shouldn't do that." I sighed, "Think about it. If you vandalize his shop, he's just going to hate you more. It won't change what happened." I placed a hand on his shoulder, "And its okay, I don't mind. Jerks will be jerks. Besides..." I peered around the corner, thankfully the worker hadn't returned to the site yet. "If you do this, that guy won't be the only one affected."
"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned.
I pointed him towards the worksite. "The people there having their building renovated, they'll need to pay for new buckets of paint and the work will take longer to do. If they hired someone then he'll be in trouble for it." As I explained, I watched as Naruto's expression softened as he realized what I was saying. "Besides, how would you feel if one day some kid came and painted stuff all over your house?"
"I... I didn't mean to..." He stuttered before dropping his head towards the ground.
"Its alright." I said reassuringly, giving him a solid pat on the back. "You haven't done anything yet. Let's go return the paint buckets. I'll help."
"Yeah..." He nodded, "Okay." Each of us taking a bucket and brush each, we were able to return them without incident and quickly fled the scene. Soon finding ourselves back on the main street, we made sure to not get too close to any of the shops so we could avoid another confrontation. I also found myself more conscious of the looks we were getting. It reminded me of my own treatment in the Uchiha compound but amplified ten-fold.
Once again I was forced to realize just what Naruto went through on a daily basis. This was only a mere fraction of what he suffered. It begged one important question, "Hey Naruto?" I asked, "Do you, hate the people of the village? For everything they've done?"
My question made Naruto halt, stopping in the middle of the street. His expression was one of extreme pain and contemplation. While I knew what he would become, right now he wasn't that hyperactive ninja nor his mature older self. Right now he was a child, one who had been shunned and discriminated against by just about everyone around him. It wouldn't be surprising if he did hold hatred in his heart.
"I... I don't know." He finally replied. Raising his head towards the sky. "Sometimes I get so mad. I wonder why me? What did I do to deserve this?"
I wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault. To try and explain why the villagers acted the way they did. In fact, I tried. It was more of a reaction than anything, but when I tried to speak my words vanished. I physically couldn't say anything. Itachi's face coming to mind as I remembered how he had 'sealed' my memories. Apparently I tried to say too much.
"Sometimes it just makes me so mad. I want to get back at them... Sometimes I want to hurt them." Naruto admitted, the guilt in his voice palpable.
"So then, why do you want to be Hokage?" I found myself asking. If he hated the village that much, why aim to be the head of it all?
Once again, Naruto was silent. Gaze still locked skyward for a moment before he turned to face the Hokage monument. "Because... Because then I can prove them all wrong." He responded, his voice gaining strength. "I'll show them that I'm not some monster! That I'm somebody! Not just somebody, that I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Then they'll have to acknowledge me! They'll finally see me! The real me!" Naruto then thrust his fist towards the four stone faces, "And I'll be the best Hokage they've ever seen! Believe it!"
I could feel the smile stretching across my face. The energy and determination Naruto had was contagious and for a moment I saw his future selves, each pointing a fist towards the monument.
"Its not going to be easy." I said, giving him a good slap on the back. "Especially if you keep antagonizing anyone who annoys you."
"I know that!" Naruto shouted back, "But what am I supposed to do? Just ignore them? Then they'll just keep walking all over me!"
Naruto had a point there. Especially for someone like him if he didn't fight back people would take advantage of him. Add in the animosity and he may very well put himself in danger. But what else could he do? As long as the villagers hated him this would just be a constant issue to deal with.
"Wait, as long as they hate him..." An idea began to form in my mind. It wasn't much but perhaps it was worth a try. "Hey Naruto, this might sound like a dumb idea but what if we tried to change how people saw you now?"
He blinked several times, "What do you mean?"
I grinned, "Community service!" I stated confidently. Naruto, understandably, was only confused further. "To put it simply, we'll go around doing good things for people. Help out where we can and build good will."
From his expression, I didn't think it had quite gotten through to him. "I don't get it. How is that supposed to help?" He asked.
"To put it simply, if you do good things, good things will happen."
"Oh!" I could see the light bulb flicking on above his head as Naruto pounded a fist into his palm. "I get it! But do you think that'll work?"
I could only shrug, "Couldn't hurt to try?"
As it turned out, it was a task easier said than done. Finding someone who needed help in a busy street was not as simple a task as I had originally thought. What made it harder was the people's natural inclination to simply avoid us. And those were the good ones. Others were like the shop keeper, hostile. Although thankfully those ones were rare.
"Ah man, this is pointless!" Naruto shouted, kicking an old wooden crate in frustration. "No one will even listen to us for a second!" I shared Naruto's sentiments. We must have been trying for at least an hour without any success. Heck, the last guy chased us away while throwing the trash we were trying to help clean.
"I'm sorry Naruto, I thought it was a good idea..." I apologized while slumping against a wall. A nearby clock read it was a little after five. We had been running around for about an hour on this with nothing to really show for it. And unfortunately time was running out as I promised Mom I'd be home on time today.
Before I could break the news to Naruto, a familiar growling caught my attention. Instinctively I looked to my own stomach with a flushed face but when it happened again, I realized it wasn't me. "Ugh, I'm hungry." Naruto groaned as his stomach bellowed for a third time.
"Well, I guess we should start heading home then?" I said with a chuckle of relief. Happy that, for once, my gut hadn't betrayed me.
"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto replied. As I pushed myself off the wall his face lit up, "Oh hey! Are you hungry? I have some special ramen I've been saving, you should come and have some!"
"Eh?" I was a little surprised by the invitation. But at the same time it was really, really hard to ignore that face he was making. Looking to the clock one more time, I could probably spare a few extra minutes.
"Alright. Only for a little bit though, I promised my mom I'd be home early tonight."
"YEAH!" Naruto cheered and immediately dashed ahead. "Come on! Its this way!" I chuckled once more and followed after him. At the very least, he wasn't letting what happened keep him down. His ability to remain positive was something I could learn from.
Naruto led me towards an apartment complex, his place being on the top floor. Looking out from the open veranda, his place offered a good view of the village. Although the building itself had certainly seen better days. The walls were cracked and discoloured with age and several haphazard repairs were clearly evident.
"Here we are!" Naruto declared happily, the boy had been positively giddy the whole walk here. He unlocked the door and opened it, revealing the dark apartment inside. "Come on!" Stepping inside, the first thing that hit me was the distinct... odour. A sour, almost nauseating stench assaulted my senses that forced me to start breathing through my mouth. Once the lights started to flick on did I see why.
The apartment looked like a warzone.
It shouldn't have been much of a surprise, a six year old boy living on his own with no one to guide him or hold him to task? Of course it was going to be a pigsty. Clothes and garbage lay strewn about almost blanketing the floor completely. The door opened immediately into a room that was pulling multiple shifts. Naruto's bed was off in the far corner noting this as the bedroom but there was also a small table in the centre. One of those low tables with two pillows for sitting. Around the room was a couple cabinets and posters, mainly ramen related and an old model television sat coated in a deep layer of dust to my right.
Straight ahead was a small hallway leading to what looked to be a kitchen where the mess was even worse. The smell was emanating from that direction too. "What are you waiting for? Come on!" Naruto urged me to step deeper inside. And honestly, I really didn't want to. Mom had conditioned me well apparently, we always, ALWAYS had to clean up after ourselves. So seeing this mess left me extremely uncomfortable.
"Y-Yeah..." I mumbled, tip toeing onto the rare bits of clean floor still open. Naruto plowed through the mess as though it was a deep pile of snow, blazing me a somewhat useful trail. The closer we got to the kitchen, the worse the smell got until it was just unbearable.
"Ugh, what is that smell!?" I finally shouted, unable to ignore it any longer. The acrid odour was so severe I could practically taste it at this point.
Naruto sniffed the air a couple times before looking puzzled, "Smell? I don't smell anything."
"Oh god he's used to it." I thought in horror. My eyes then catching sight of something on the table, nestled in between several empty, and slightly mouldy, ramen cups and bowls. A carton of milk. Cautiously I picked it up and gave it a shake. It certainly didn't feel like a liquid anymore and the smell was certainly coming from this. Checking the date, this carton was two weeks expired.
"Naruto this, urk," I nearly gagged, "This milk is extremely expired." I held it out to him while clamping my nose.
"Oh that's where that went!" He said like it was a misplaced set of keys.
"Okay, that's enough. Ramen can wait." I said in an authoritative voice that mimicked my mother's as closely as possible. "We're cleaning this up first."
"Huh!? But wh-" Naruto began to protest but I just glared and shoved a finger in his face.
"We. Are. Cleaning. Now. Understand?" I reiterated nice and slowly.
"Y-yes..." Naruto meekly complied.
And so we got to work. Because my time was limited I made our focus the kitchen where the mess was the worst. Naruto would gather up the trash and take it out while I focused on cleaning the dishes and washing the place down. Granted there weren't many dishes but what there was were in a horrific state. Not to mention the simple mess that the rest of the place was. It was in need of a deep scrubbing. Thankfully, Naruto was surprisingly stocked up on cleaning materials. In fact, they were practically brand new.
Naruto's kitchen wanted for space. The entire area was smaller than my bedroom. A single counter where half the area was covered by a sink and portable burner that I assumed was only for boiling water. Meanwhile most of the floor space, not covered in trash, was taken up by a small round table. It certainly made things difficult though, I couldn't leave dishes out to dry because there was nowhere to put them so as soon as I scrubbed one clean I was immediately drying it.
Meanwhile, Naruto was grumbling while filling trash bags. His stomach voicing it's discontent without end. I had to keep encouraging him to keep going and, honestly, we were making progress quite quickly. Most of the garbage was discarded ramen cups after all. Once those were bagged, things got a lot easier.
After about six bags, most of the loose trash had been gathered up and the dishes nearly done. I took a glance at the clock and it was approaching six. Not much time left. "Alright, Naruto." I said, the boy looking miserable as he tied the last bag. "This should be good enough. I'll finish these last few dishes and get the water started if you could take those bags out. I don't know where the trash disposal is."
His grin instantly returned. "Oh yeah! Finally! Alright I'll be right back!" He shouted, voice reverberating in the small apartment. He then started trying to grab all the bags at once and started dragging them across the floor.
When I finally convinced him to make extra trips, he was off and out the door like a blur. With the last bowl cleaned I moved to the burner. It looked to be gas operated, similar to the stove we had at home. I hadn't used it myself but had seen my mom do it enough times that I could probably figure it out. A minute later the flame was burning low. I wouldn't be telling Naruto about how the flames lashed out because I had trouble getting it lit in the first place. Regardless, the kettle was set and all that was left to do was wait.
There was still a couple bags left, to help Naruto out I started to carry them over to the door. They were light but clunky making them difficult to carry. I felt a little bad about leaving it all to Naruto. Reaching the door, I was about to open it when a knocking came from the other side. I looked back in the apartment as though Naruto would be there waiting to answer. I wondered if I should answer, Naruto should be back in a moment to get the last of the bags after all. He could simply meet up with whomever was outside.
Another knock. I sighed, I could at least let them know he would be back in a second. Opening the door only a crack, to hide the mess that was still Naruto's room, I peeked out. "I'm sorry, Naruto will be back in a sec-" I froze, mouth agape. Outside the door stood an old man wearing a dull red kimono. His face a tanned brown and spotted with age. Two deep lines underneath his eyes and a large wart on his nose. His forehead shined in the fading sunlight, emphasizing his receding grey hairline. He may have been in plain clothes but I certainly recognized him for who he was.
The Third Hokage himself stood before me.
"Oh? Who do we have here?" He mused after hiding his own shock, stroking his goatee.
"Ah... Ah..." I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I could barely process the fact that I was standing before the Hokage, the literal head of the village. "Why is he here!? Does he have business with Naruto? Ahhh hurry up!" I internally panicked while still paralyzed in shock.
"Is something wrong?" Hiruzen asked after I failed to respond. I jolted, gaining a small amount of control back. Just enough to very slightly shake my head no. "Alright, is Naruto home?" He asked and once again, I shook my head no. It was about the only response I could do at the moment.
"Oh, I see." He replied. "May I come in then? I have something important to give to him." Slowly, I nodded and opened the door.
"S-Sorry for the mess..." I apologized as I started moving further inside.
"That's alright," The Lord Hokage chuckled, "It actually appears cleaner than usual."
"Y-Yeah." I stuttered awkwardly as the kettle started to scream. I yelped, the sudden high pitched screech finally snapping me out of my stupor. "Ah! Excuse me!" I said as I quickly ran to the kitchen, cutting the gas and lifting the kettle off. Trying to find someplace safe to put it. Finally settling on placing the towel I had used to dry the dishes in a clump before dropping the now silent kettle upon it.
"So," The Hokage said, his voice jolting me once again. "I wasn't expecting Naruto to have any guests over, may I ask your name?" He said with a gentle smile. Somehow, just seeing that was enough to dissuade my nerves somewhat.
"Um, Meiko." I responded, "Meiko Hashimoto."
His brow twitched at that, "Hashimoto?" He repeated, stroking his beard once more. His eyes rising ever so slightly as he stared at me for a moment. "Your father, is his name Kenji by chance?"
"You know my dad?" I asked, once more slack jawed in surprise.
Lord Hokage chuckled. "Yes. When he first ca-" His words were cut off as the door opened and Naruto stepped inside. "One more run and- Oh, old man!" Ignoring the remaining trash bags, Naruto ran over to the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"
I was moving long before I was thinking. Running up and cutting Naruto off, "What are you doing!? That's the Third Hokage!" I whispered, grabbing Naruto by his shirt, "You can't be rude like that! And why is he here!?"
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking!" Naruto replied, bewildered.
A hearty laugh echoed from behind me, "Well, you two seem close. I'm sorry to intrude so I won't be long." He said while reaching into a pocket and pulling out an envelope. "Here you are Naruto, I apologize for it being late. I've been quite busy these last couple weeks." Lord Third placed the envelope, filled to burst with something on the table and gave it a gentle pat.
"I won't keep you two any longer." He added with a smile and swiftly began to head towards the door. I just watched him silently as Naruto waved him off. And just like that, he was gone. Like a tornado but without the devastation. It took me a few seconds to realize he never answered my question. "Hey wait!" I called at the closed door and started to head after him when Naruto suddenly started hollering.
"Whoa! Yeah!" He shouted happily, causing me to about face. The envelope had been torn open and was overflowing with a wad of bills. Pure hard cash had been what the Hokage had delivered personally.
"N-Naruto, what's with that money?" I asked in disbelief. Even without counting it, there was just so much there.
"Hmm? Oh, the old man says it's my allowance. He drops it off every month." He said before he started grinning again, "I was getting worried because it was late. I'm almost out of ramen. Oh Right! Hey, I have a better idea, we should totally go to Ichiraku! They have the best ramen in the entire village! Believe it!"
"Whoa whoa, settle down!" I pleaded with Naruto, waving a hand at him. There was just so much to take in at the moment. Pinching the bridge of my nose I took in a deep breath. "Okay, let me get this straight. The Hokage, the head of the village, brings you your allowance every month?"
"Yeah." Naruto's reply was simple and quick. As though it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Ah right, probably because the Fourth was your dad." The thought shot through my mind and felt my mouth begin to vocalize it before rationality could stop me. The horror of what I had just done was quickly replaced with surprise. My mouth hung half open yet no words came out. I was utterly confused until a flash of Itachi's face came to mind.
He had sealed my ability to speak.
On the one hand, I was quite relieved. I nearly said something extremely stupid there and who knows what might have happened. I couldn't remember why Naruto hadn't been informed of who his parents were but there must have been a good reason for it. I would have to thank Itachi for that save. I really was a gigantic idiot.
Still, it begged the question, how exactly did Itachi seal my memories? Technically this was knowledge of the past. I had to shake my head to stop the train of thought. At this point I had been standing slack jawed in front of Naruto for several seconds and he was beginning to look concerned.
"Okay, I just had to be sure." I replied. My head was starting to hurt. To top it all off, apparently the Third Hokage knew my dad. Trying to sort all this out in my head felt like it was going to take hours. Thankfully, Naruto had neither the patience nor the awareness to comprehend my plight. Instead, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me along towards the door.
"Come on! Ichiraku time! Woohoo!" He cheered.
"Huh, wait! Naruto!" I cried, but my protests were ignored as I was dragged along out of the apartment. Eventually I gave up resisting and just went along with the flow. Unable to turn Naruto down when he was in such a great mood. The free ramen was a nice bonus, even if I didn't want him to spend his limited money on me.
As it turned out, Ichiraku Ramen wasn't too far from his home. The small stand sat at a corner and even from a block away I could catch the occasional whiff when the wind blew just right. Despite it being dinnertime, the stand was surprisingly empty. Granted there wasn't a whole lot of space in the first place, there being only six stools for customers to sit and eat. I couldn't imagine why, the smell of the soup broth wafting in the air was absolutely heavenly. This time it was my stomach grumbling and I concurred.
"Hey Pops!" Naruto called as we stepped inside. A tall, slightly plump man stepped out from behind a curtain obscuring the kitchen a moment later.
"Naruto! Welcome! The usual then?" He asked while already beginning to prep the meal.
"Yeah, but make it two!" Naruto replied, tugging on my arm to pull me to the forefront.
"Oh, now this is a surprise!" The man said as his grin widened further, "Alright, two bowls coming right up!" Naruto did not waste a moment, hopping up on one of the stools and holding a pair of chopsticks with eager anticipation. I took a seat beside him, one that could partially see inside the kitchen as the man was hard at work. He moved with a trained finesse that reminded me of my father in the forge. Each movement deliberate and without waste. At least, from what I could see.
In a matter of minutes, two large bowls were placed before us. A hefty helping of noodles before various vegetables and meats were all neatly arranged within. Finally, a clear golden broth was poured over, submerging everything. "There you are, two servings of miso pork ramen! On the house!"
"What? Why?" I found myself asking, although Naruto was cheering over the free food.
The chef just chuckled, "Don't worry about it. Let's just say its to celebrate Naruto bringing in a friend, and new customer."
"Alright! Get another bowl ready! I'm eating big tonight!" Naruto continued cheering before taking a long slurp of noodles.
"You'll have to pay for the extra bowls!" The man continued to laugh before turning to me, "Go on, enjoy."
I nodded, saying a quick prayer before digging in. Slurping up a large mouthful of noodles I practically swallowed them whole. "So good!" I shouted in amazement. Naruto happily agreeing with me. Despite the generous portion, it didn't take long for me to down the bowl. Chugging down the remaining broth, savouring the salty deliciousness. Naruto finished his bowl at the same time, holding it up and asking for more. I was tempted to order another round before I happened to notice the clock. Quarter past seven.
Panic began to set in as I looked outside, the light was starting to wane as the sun had begun to set. "Crap." I said as I spun back around. "Thank you for the food!" I said quickly before hopping off the stool.
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked as his second serving was being prepared.
"Sorry Naruto, I really need to head home. Thanks again for the ramen, it was fantastic." I apologized.
"Oh, yeah. Okay." Naruto replied, a little sad it was time to part.
I gave the boy a good slap on the back, "Come on, don't get too down. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah!" Naruto responded with a slight chuckle just as his order was finished. "Hey Meiko," Naruto added just as I was stepping outside. "I had a lot of fun today... Thanks."
"Me too." I responded before dashing off.
I was thankfully able to get home before dark, although barely and at full sprint. Gasping for air, I slowly approached the door and let myself in. "I'm home." I wheezed, kicking off my sandals. Mom was the first to greet me, stepping out of the kitchen with a towel in hand.
"Its about time." She said, clearly annoyed. "We already finished dinner. I thought I told you to be home early today."
"I know, I'm sorry..." I apologized, I really had not intended to be so long. I just couldn't bring myself to say no to Naruto. "I did try to get home on time but... Something came up."
"Something, huh?" Mom replied, glaring at me but didn't push the subject. "Fine. Just don't do it again. Now come on, you can help me with dishes."
"Okay!" I replied happily, chuckling internally that I was stuck doing dishes a second time today.
Just as we were finishing up, I heard the front door open. Looking across the house I saw Dad's large frame lumbering in, Sengo sleeping peacefully on his shoulder. Mom immediately took the towel from me to dry her hands off and rushed to greet him. "Welcome home." She said happily.
"I'm home." Dad responded, grabbing mom by the waist and kissing her. I felt myself gagging involuntarily. "He's out like a light. I swear he didn't stop running the entire time." Dad said as he passed my brother to Mom. I dried off the last couple of dishes before heading over too. I hadn't seen much of my dad lately due to him being swamped with work and classes.
"Hi Dad." I said, going in for a hug of my own. However, he placed a massive hand on my head, stopping me in my tracks.
"Meiko. You were late getting home, weren't you?" He asked, although it was more an accusation than a question.
"Dear, its not that big of a deal." Mom started but dad merely shook his head.
"We have to be firm. She was told to be home before dinner. She wasn't. There has to be consequences." He replied. Biting my lip, I looked down to the floor. He was right after all. "So, what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"
"I'm sorry." I apologized, there was no point in making up excuses. I was told to be back at a certain time and I failed to do that. "I lost track of time."
Dad's hand came down in a firm chop on my head. Just forceful enough to cause some pain even through my chakra reinfocement. With a little yelp, I rubbed the top of my scalp. "Consider this a warning. Tomorrow you are to come straight home. If you don't, you won't be going to the sleepover this weekend."
"Wah! No! I understand!" I cried, fearing what Kiyomi would do if I had to cancel on her like that. "I'll come straight home! I promise."
Another chop to the head. "Quiet down, you'll wake your brother." Dad said as I rubbed the tender spot. He then knelt down and pulled me in for a hug. "And welcome home." I nestled deep into Dad's beard, the familiar smell of soot assaulted my senses but it had become comforting in it's own way.
"Oh right." I said, stepping back as I remembered what had been revealed in Naruto's apartment. "I met the Lord Hokage today."
"Oh did you now?" Dad replied, his tone was one that was more humouring me than believing. Mom meanwhile, froze in her tracks as she was taking Sengo to bed. "And what did he say?"
"He asked if we were related. Although he left before I could ask why." I answered. Curiously, Dad looked to Mom and the two exchanged a silent conversation. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no nothing is wrong." Dad replied, ruffling my hair. "Your mother and I met the Hokage a some time before you were born. You see," He looked to Mom again, as if to ask her permission to speak further, then back to me, "You see, your mother and I, we don't hail from Konoha. We emigrated here from Takumi Village, in the Land of Rivers." For some reason, there was pain in Dad's eyes as he said this. "Lord Third helped us personally when it came to integrating in the village. Honestly, I'm amazed he remembered me." He then chuckled, hiding away any other emotions behind that bright smile.
Suddenly, it made a lot of sense why we never had any relatives visit or vice-versa. They were all off in a different land. The thought of actually having an extended family was a surprising and welcoming one. I hoped that one day we could make the trip to meet them. Still, I couldn't recall at all any information regarding a Takumi Village. Heck I couldn't even remember where the Land of Rivers was on a map.
"Why did you leave?" I asked, eager to learn more about my family's history. Yet Dad, once more, looked to Mom for advice before patting me on the head again. "That's a bit of a long story. I'll tell you when you're older." He said.
"What? But why?" I protested but he merely shook his head.
"When you're older." He repeated in a gentle but firm tone. I could tell he had no plans on budging on that. I looked to Mom for support but she just gave me a bittersweet smile before walking off with Sengo.
"Mrgh... Fine..." I grumbled.
After that, I went outside to take care of my evening training and got ready for bed. Lying in the dark, I cocooned myself in my blankets as my thoughts once more drifted to Misaki and the Uchiha. Today had been busy so I had been unable to focus on the matter until now. And of course, now I couldn't suppress it.
"You are weak." Itachi's voice echoed again.
Weak and foolish. Once again I had to accept that truth. Still, even with the restrictions placed on me, I wasn't going to give up. I would find a way to save Misaki. I had to. But this time I wasn't going to go in with some half-cocked plan. I was going to take my time and really think on it. At the very least, I could try to get an update on how things are going whenever next she stopped by. That would give me time to clear my head and maybe come up with something.
I lay awake for another few hours, tossing and turning as my brain refused to shut up. Eventually though, I could feel sleep taking me. Before I allowed myself to succumb to it's sweet embrace however, I clasped my hands together and said a silent prayer.
"Shisui, I'm sorry. May you rest in peace."
