The Serpants' Embrace

A/N: I know this should be chapter 3, but its continuation of chapter 2 building up characters more. Actually I had written in the second iteration but I had forgotten to add it in Ch2. I didn't want you all feel scammed after this long pause of writing. I am not a person to abandon. I will not abandon this or either of my three stories.

Chapter 2 (Part 2):- Trinity of the Wronged.

Anko's sharp eyes flicked from Medusa to Naruto, her usual playful smirk replaced with something more serious. There was something off about Naruto, something deeper than the usual loud-mouthed, mischievous troublemaker everyone in the village knew him to be. Even when the whole village treated him like dirt, Naruto always bounced back, wearing that goofy grin of his like a shield. But now, standing in the clearing, she could sense a heaviness around him, a weight that he hadn't carried before.

She glanced over at Medusa one last time, still wary of the mysterious woman's intentions, but something about her felt… oddly genuine. Anko couldn't explain it, but there was a sincerity in her gaze, even though she was surrounded by snakes. Turning her attention back to Naruto, Anko's voice softened, something rare for her. "Alright, kid," she started, her tone surprisingly gentle, "spill it. What's really going on? Why were you sitting out here all alone? And don't give me the usual 'troublemaker' excuse, this feels different."

Naruto stiffened at her words, his back straightening as he tried to brush it off. "It's nothing, Anko-sensei. I was just, you know… thinking." He forced a weak chuckle, scratching the back of his head like he always did when he was trying to avoid something uncomfortable.

Anko wasn't buying it. Her gaze bore into him, and after a moment, she folded her arms across her chest, leaning against a nearby tree. "You? Thinking? Alone? Yeah, I'm not buying it, brat. You're usually off somewhere trying to pull pranks or getting into fights with Sasuke. So why the sudden need for a quiet moment of reflection?"

Naruto's forced smile faltered, and his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. He looked down at his feet, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. "I just… I needed to be alone, okay?" he muttered, his voice low. "Everything's just… too much right now."

Anko's eyes softened, but she didn't push. Instead, she let the silence hang between them for a moment, giving him space to find the words he was struggling to say.

After a few seconds, Naruto's voice came again, quieter this time. "Sakura-chan… she hates me. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, she just… doesn't care. She calls me an idiot, hits me all the time, and when I try to tell her how I feel…" His voice cracked, and he swallowed hard, his blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. "She just laughs at me. Like it's all some big joke."

Anko's chest tightened at his words. She'd never been the type to get mushy or sentimental, but seeing Naruto, this loud, brash kid who always seemed to take everything in stride, looking so broken—it hit her harder than she expected.

Naruto's voice grew angrier, frustration boiling over. "And then there's Sasuke! He treats me like I'm nothing, like I don't even matter. No matter how hard I try to keep up with him, it's never enough. Everyone thinks he's so great just because he's the last Uchiha, but they don't see how he looks down on me. It's like… like I'm invisible."

He wiped at his eyes furiously, refusing to let the tears fall. "And Kakashi-sensei… he doesn't even bother with me. He spends all his time training Sasuke, acting like he's the only one who matters. Like I'm not even worth his time."

Anko felt a sharp pang in her chest at that. She knew what it felt like to be cast aside, to be ignored, and she hated seeing Naruto going through the same thing. She sighed, running a hand through her short hair before pushing herself off the tree and walking over to him. "That's some heavy stuff, kid," she said, her voice softer than usual. "But it's not the end of the world. People suck sometimes, trust me, I know. But that doesn't mean you have to let them tear you down."

Naruto didn't say anything, his gaze still fixed on the ground as he kicked at the dirt beneath his feet.

Anko's eyes narrowed, realizing there was something else bothering him. She knelt down slightly to meet his eye level. "But that's not the only thing, is it?" she pressed gently. "Something else happened, didn't it? Something that made you feel like you couldn't handle it all right now."

Naruto hesitated, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. He opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat. Finally, he muttered, "It's the village… they still hate me."

Anko's heart sank. She'd heard the rumors, the whispers that followed Naruto wherever he went. The villagers called him "demon" behind his back, even after all these years. She had never understood why they treated him like a pariah—after all, he was just a kid. But she knew there was more to it, something darker that tied back to the Kyuubi.

"The old gossips still giving you trouble, huh?" Anko asked, her voice tinged with anger at the injustice of it all. "Bunch of idiots, if you ask me."

Naruto let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "It's not just them, Anko-sensei. It's everyone. They've hated me since I was a kid. I don't even know why! I try to ignore it, to pretend it doesn't bother me, but… it does." His voice wavered, and for the first time, he allowed the tears to fall, dripping down his cheeks as he spoke. "I just… I just don't get why they hate me so much."

Anko clenched her fists at her sides, feeling a surge of anger at the village for putting this kind of weight on someone so young. She knew what it was like to be hated, to be feared for something that wasn't your fault. But seeing Naruto like this, she couldn't help but feel protective of him.

She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "You're stronger than they are, kid. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you are. The village? They don't know you. Not really. They don't see how hard you're fighting, how much you're trying to prove yourself. But I see it. I've always seen it."

Naruto looked up at her, his tear-filled eyes wide with surprise. "Anko-sensei…"

Anko gave him a small, crooked smile. "Yeah, I'm not usually the comforting type, but don't get used to it," she teased lightly, though her eyes were filled with sincerity. "But listen to me, Naruto. You're not alone. You've got me, and you've got some pretty weird company now, too." She glanced over at Medusa, who had been quietly watching the exchange with a deep understanding in her golden eyes.

Medusa stepped forward, her serpents coiling gently around her shoulders as she regarded Naruto with empathy. "The pain you carry is heavy, Naruto," she said softly. "But it doesn't have to define you. Your strength lies not in the acceptance of others, but in the fire within you. The same fire that drew me to this world."

Naruto sniffed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as he looked up at Medusa. "You think I'm strong?"

Medusa smiled gently, her golden eyes softening. "I know you are. The power within you is far greater than you realize. And though you may feel lost now, in time, you will learn to harness it."

Anko nodded, her smirk returning as she gave Naruto's shoulder a playful shove. "See? Even snake lady here agrees with me. You're not some useless runt. You've got potential, kid. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Naruto stared at both of them, his heart swelling with a mixture of gratitude and something else—something lighter than the weight he'd been carrying all day. He wasn't sure what the future held or how he would face the upcoming Chunin Exams with everything weighing on him, but for the first time in a long while, he felt like he wasn't completely alone.

"Thanks, Anko-sensei," he said quietly, his voice filled with sincerity. "And… thanks, Medusa."

Medusa inclined her head slightly, her serpents hissing softly as if in approval. "You are welcome, Naruto. And remember, you are never truly alone in your journey. There are those who understand your pain and will stand by your side."

Anko grinned, punching him lightly on the arm. "Alright, enough of this mushy stuff. We've got some training to do, and I'm not letting you slack off just because you're feeling down. You're gonna be ready for those Chunin Exams if it kills me."

Naruto chuckled weakly, rubbing his arm where she'd punched him. "Right. Training."

As they stood together in the clearing, the weight of their shared pain still lingered, but for the first time, Naruto felt like maybe, just maybe, he had a chance to rise above it. And with Medusa's strange but comforting presence and Anko's tough love, he had a feeling things were about to get very interesting.

To be continued