Chapter LXV

Nostalgic Reunion

Naruto did not show it, but an uncomfortable lump in his chest grew as he walked away and followed Shikamaru. Kakashi had invited him to leave the nest at nightfall. It was one of the things he dreamed of ever since Kakashi became his world. He hated the blinding light of the day that pushed him to sleep … However, for Kakashi, he did not hesitate to follow him. No matter where Kakashi wanted to take him, he would follow the pace of Kakashi's steps. Kakashi's presence hunted down his daytime terrors, which tormented him mercilessly.

He trusted Kakashi, and as Kakashi trusted Shikamaru, Naruto trusted Shikamaru.

I trust you, Naruto. We'll see each other again soon.

These words resonated like a pleasant echo in his ears; a melody that Naruto played on a loop in his head when his fears tried to enslave him. Kakashi's words kept them from intruding into his unstable mind. He clung to the nighttime walk promised by the precious human in the apple of his eyes and their imminent reunion. He intended to make Kakashi proud of him, to prove to Kakashi that Kakashi could trust him. Very soon, he would be rewarded with what he had always dreamed of. Discovering everything alongside Kakashi while enjoying a moon bath.

Naruto took a deep breath to give himself courage.

"You don't have to worry, Naruto," Shikamaru reassured him. "You've seen them all at least once … well, most of them. Two of them will be new to you."

The blond listened to him, then arched an eyebrow. Shikamaru's words implied that there would have several of them. Naruto was not very enthusiastic about meeting other humans, especially if there were so many of them… Nonetheless, determined to please Kakashi, to make Kakashi proud, he decided to give them a chance despite the apprehension that swarmed under his skin.

"It's gonna be fine, relax. You just have to stay with me if you're anxious. No one will do you the slightest harm. I promise you, Naruto."

Naruto let out a long sigh as he looked away, drawing a sigh from the other teenager. Shikamaru could not translate the feral boy's body language. According to Kakashi, Naruto had a tendency to contradict himself, without it being logical; a real paradox conforming to the reports about him. His tail was the most effective way to interpret his emotions. However, Shikamaru looked at it from all angles, but he had no idea what he should understand. He wondered how Kakashi managed it so easily. Shikamaru crossed his fingers that everything went smoothly.

A few minutes later, he finally saw the building, in front of which they were to meet. He noticed the group talking at the entrance to the public baths. Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Chōji, Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino and Hyūga Hinata were here. However, Inuzuka Kiba was missing.

Shikamaru frowned and called out to the others while waving his hand. They turned their heads and greeted him and Naruto. As for Naruto, he preferred to stay behind his only available source of comfort; he was already missing Kakashi, especially right now. In order to hide his fears, he kept a neutral expression while suppressing his emotions… However, he could not help but raise a few hairs in response to the stress.

"Anyone know where's Kiba?" Shikamaru asked.

"He's on his way. He had to do something before joining us," Shino replied. Like the others, he observed Naruto with curiosity.

"That'll give me time to finish my snack," Chōji added between two mouthfuls of chips.

On guard, Naruto carefully analyzed each human; their appearance, their smell, their chakra … nothing escaped his piercing gaze and sharp nostrils. As Shikamaru had promised him, he did not feel any harmful waves. Humans hated him, despised him. The blond understood that very well.

Naruto recognized the bigger one, who had been afraid of him during that confusing night, when his body and his mind had ceased to be his. When he saw him again, this human was nervous and suspicious despite his vain attempt to hide it from him, but Naruto felt his fears towards him. As a result, he did not see him as a threat.

Naruto recognized the one with the long blond mane similar to his own. The floral fragrances never left her; he liked her scent full of benevolence. She was gentle and careful. She had given him the flower that he had preciously offered to Kakashi. When he saw her again, her radiant smile had chased away the worry and his fears towards her.

Naruto recognized the one overloaded with clothes, which gave him a mysterious air. When he saw him, he looked as if he had to go somewhere. Naruto hardly had a definitive opinion of him. Nevertheless, he liked his rather calm and reserved temperament. The blond did not like it when it was noisy; it made him dizzy.

Obviously, Naruto recognized Sakura, the human creator of miracles. He could trust her like Shikamaru, but he did not like her being insistent, transgressing the boundaries he imposed to others. She wanted to get closer to him, to touch him as if the two were close. Even though Kakashi told him that Sakura was an important friend to him before losing his memory, she remained a stranger in his eyes.

Naruto did not recognize the one with long hair as black as the night, who was quick to look away if Naruto looked at her. Did she know about his pupils, with which he could hypnotize and petrify his prey with just one glance?

"He seems to be in a good mood tonight," Ino noted.

"Indeed," Shikamaru confirmed, pointing at Hinata. "Naruto. She's Hyūga Hinata. She's very kind."

"Good… Good evening, Na… Naruto," Hinata stuttered, giving a small smile, her cheeks pink.

Naruto arched an eyebrow, confused. He could not understand why she was so uncomfortable… He did not try to understand and instead turned his attention to Sakura, to whom his eyes focused without blinking.

"As you already know, Naruto can exhibit strange behaviour. He's mute, to the point of not being able to respond at all," Shikamaru explained, scratching the back of his head. "Don't expect any feedback from him…"

The group noticed the sapphire eyes plastered on Sakura, now uncomfortable.

"What is it, Naruto...?" Sakura asked, letting out a nervous laugh.

A silence.

Naruto held his palms out towards her before waiting. This gesture… Sakura and Shikamaru understood what it meant—something that exasperated them. As for the others, question marks appeared on their heads.

"Are you done with that, Naruto?" she grumbled, crossing her arms. "Stop thinking that I'll give you flowers every time we see each other…"

Naruto's body language spoke for itself. Disappointed and upset, he withdrew and pouted; at that, his tail wagged in annoyance. He was not at all happy that Sakura stopped her floral offerings, which he loved very much.

Naruto looked at the blonde. When he began his move to beg for some from her instead, Shikamaru easily guessed his intentions. He hastened to grab his wrists. "She doesn't have some either, Naruto," he grumbled, sighing. "Stop asking. The others won't give you any."

Naruto rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. A few amused laughs were shared.

"Is it Naruto who stinks like that?" Kiba blurted, coming towards the group and pinching his nose. "I didn't think it was him who was spreading this abject stench in the village…"

Seeing Kiba prey to olfactory discomfort, their eyes pinned on Naruto. No one had actually noticed Naruto's unusual body scent—rather, they had not really paid much attention to it. Now that he said it, his smell was quite unpleasant, but endurable. The scent did not sting their noses unlike Kiba, who seemed to be strangling himself with it.

As for Naruto, with all those eyes pinned on him and those humans sniffing him after the other human had said he stank, he sniffed his own self. He could only be puzzled. His fragrance was normal. He did not understand why it bothered this human. It did not bother Kakashi. So why did his smell bother others?

"His smell's a bit strong, but it's not a big deal," Shikamaru said, shrugging.

"Is he ever washed?!" Kiba grumbled.

In response, Naruto growled while thrashing his tail.

"Can you stop? You'll upset him…"

"I'm sorry, but I'm dying…"

"Kakashi-Sensei has a nose as sharp as yours, and it doesn't bother him that much," Sakura retorted in a disapproving tone. "Knowing Kakashi-Sensei, I'm sure he's clean."

"You know, however, that Naruto is suspicious," Shino told his brother-in-arms. "Complaining like that doesn't make a good impression."

Kiba gritted his teeth, fully aware of the situation. Shikamaru had been very clear about it. That was the reason why Akamaru was not with him. Naruto had dissociated himself from his humanity, associating himself with a beast now; interacting with or seeing a dog could sabotage his healing. Kiba had also been targeted by this group, a hair's breadth from being kidnapped. As a result, he felt some compassion towards Naruto, given that he could have been in the same state as him.

This foul smell was an excruciating pain to his sensitive nostrils. Kiba wondered what could possibly be the cause of that inhuman smell, which was poisoning his lungs… To avoid ending up on Naruto's blacklist, who was glaring at him, he resolved to let go of his nose in order to start get used to it… Learn to tolerate it instead of choking on it, rather.

"Sorry, Naruto," he apologized, sighing.

"That's Inuzuka Kiba," Shikamaru explained to Naruto. "Don't be too upset about him. He's a hothead who acts without thinking."

"Eh-oh!" he fumed, offended.

A few laughs were heard. The tension lost its heaviness.

"Maybe it'll fade after the bath," Chōji said, referring to Naruto's smell.

"Maybe," Shikamaru shrugged.

Silently, Naruto followed the pace of Shikamaru's steps. Seeing the others who followed suit, anxiety rose to the surface, persecuting him in its destructive tornado. His eyes scanned the surroundings, despite the blinding light inside. He became dependent on Shikamaru, to whom he placed all his trust to guide him in his blindness. Intriguing and pleasant smells of all kinds overloaded his senses. He thought he was in the middle of a constantly changing labyrinth.

The many voices, which encroached on each other, were an incomprehensible cacophony, in which assimilating the meaning of the words was impossible; they were sophisticated and articulate bestial songs in a foreign language, which entered one ear and came out the other. Sometimes, these voices were meant for him. He was content to observe the creator of the latter. With his own voice muted and unusable, Naruto felt lost.

He focused on Shikamaru and made sure not to show the slightest sign of weakness, capable of awakening predation in the others. He wanted to hold on to the only other comforting human … but he held back. This devastating vulnerability should not be shown to anyone untrustworthy.

Fear swarmed beneath his skin. Without Kakashi, he was thrown into an unknown world, a gaping maw ready to swallow him whole.

In this much too narrow and stuffy corridor, Naruto noticed that the group mysteriously separated in two. The three female humans broke away to go into a different room. Curiosity took hold of the sapphire-eyed boy. Sakura, the one he could trust as well, did not stay with him and Shikamaru. He did not like her not respecting his boundaries, of course, but he wanted her reassuring presence among this anxious crowd.

Naruto stopped following Shikamaru and approached the room to find the answers to his questions… However, before he could peek inside, he was grabbed by the sleeve of his jacket and pulled back. He turned around with a start. For unknown reasons, Shikamaru stared at him in a funny way.

"I stop you right now. It's off-limits for you," Shikamaru scolded him.

Perplexed, the blond looked at him, question marks in his eyes. Shikamaru supposed he must not understand why girls and boys were not in the same room for this sort of thing. He sighed and resolved to explain it to him, despite being obvious.

"It's not mixed baths here. So girls on one side and boys on the other."

Naruto blinked.

"You're a boy, and you go with the boys. Don't try to understand," he got angry, trying to make Naruto understand, although he was more confused than ever.

A silence.

"What a drag!" he grumbled more loudly, clutching the bridge of his nose. "Just… Accept it. Okay…?"

Shikamaru grabbed Naruto by the wrist and forced him to follow him into the men's locker room. Naruto complied without hesitation. Shikamaru did not realize to what extent the blond had lost the essential basis for living in society. He wondered where Kakashi found the patience to deal with him every day, every night, every second. With him, you had to start everything from scratch, and explain everything to him as if he were a four-year-old child…

Fortunately, despite being clumsy and inefficient, Naruto could take a shower … sort of, since he depended on Kakashi to run the water. Subconsciously, Shikamaru knew he would have to explain every step, everything to him.

Inside, Naruto looked curiously at the other shinobi, undressing while chatting about everything and nothing. He did not know if he should mimic them. Lost, he was content to stand still.

"Naruto," Shikamaru called out, pointing at the wicker basket in front of the blond. "You take off all clothes and accessories, and put them in there. Afterwards, you tie this towel around your waist."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. However, seeing Shikamaru doing like the others in the room, Naruto did the same, without really understanding why. Slowly, he took off his clothes. He just put them roughly into a ball in the designated place, while observing what was happening around him. He did not remove his precious necklace, which he intended to keep around his neck until the end of his days.

"Do we have to explain everything to him again like that?" Shino asked.

"Alas," Shikamaru whispered. "It's the same as taking care of a kid who can't fend for himself and doesn't know how the most basic and obvious things work."

"I see. It's the consequences of his amnesia and his traumas?"

Shikamaru nodded.

Naruto was trying to get the damn towel to fit around his waist. He struggled with it more than anything else. His heart leaped into his throat when he felt one of them approaching him, and it was the one he was most wary of.

"So those are the famous markings," Kiba said, observing Naruto's tattooed back.

His words forced the boys to also inspect Naruto's back—something that put Naruto on edge; at that, his black tail remained motionless, on the ground, and a few dark hairs stood up. He looked at his back in turn. He was trying to understand their interest in his black markings.

"It's true that they cover his entire back," Chōji added.

"Are they useful in any way?" Kiba asked, intrigued.

"Apart from the fact that they react to his chakra by glowing blue, we don't know if they are purely aesthetic or really serve a purpose," replied Shikamaru. He helped Naruto by tying the towel around his waist.

"Is it the same with the one on his chest?" Chōji asked his brother-in-arms.

Shikamaru nodded.

Turning on his heel, Kiba accidentally stepped on the black tail, which was resting peacefully on the ground. Immediately, Naruto let out a muffled cry. All his hairs stood up to the peak of their capacity. A few lightning pulsed through the pores of his skin. Enraged, Naruto hissed. His face was distorted with anger; his blood boiled in his veins.

Before anyone could realize what had just happened, Naruto grabbed the culprit's neck with both hands and dug his claws into the skin. His powerful grip hindered Kiba's voice and breathing, which made him choke. His veil of electricity sent constant shocks that numbed his victim's muscles.

Mechanically, Kiba grabbed Naruto's hands as he gazed at this unrecognizable face, and these monstrous fangs that froze his blood.

Panicking, Shikamaru stepped into Naruto's line of sight, holding his palms forward. "Naruto! Easy!" he implored loudly. "He didn't do it on purpose! I promise you! Please let him go!"

The tension became hellish. The other shinobi, aware of Naruto's instability and dangerousness, hesitated to act. Hearts beat in identical paces, drops of sweat beaded profusely on their foreheads as they held their breath. They crossed their fingers, hoping that Shikamaru would manage to calm Naruto in a rage, ready to lash out.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru called out again.

Naruto glared at the human he trusted. Then he stopped crushing the windpipe between his fingers. He closed his mouth and stopped hissing. He had to behave well for Kakashi, so Kakashi would be proud of him. As a result, he reluctantly took a breath to silence the growing animosity… Focusing on Kakashi, on Kakashi's promise, he withdrew his hands and released the human. His anger-bitten eyes did not stray from the one who had trampled on his tail.

Kiba took a deep breath while the others breathed a sigh of relief. Kiba's skin was marked with small, insignificant scratches.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Naruto," Kiba breathed painfully. "I didn't see your tail…"

Naruto seethed with rage. An urge got the better of him. He had to make him pay. With a quick and calculated movement, he struck the back of the human's head with his lightning-free tail. Kiba made a useless complaint as he arched forward… However, Naruto did not give him time to do anything, as he slapped him across the face again. He accomplished his revenge by tripping him, causing him to fall face first. Naruto pouted, arms crossed. Afraid that someone would step on his tail again, he wrapped it around his feet.

Painfully, Kiba got up slowly. When the others inquired about him, he told them he was fine.

More fear than harm.

"I'm sincerely sorry about Naruto," Shikamaru apologized nervously. "His tail is very sensitive…"

"I guessed it," Kiba replied dryly. "With that glare, I thought he was gonna tear me to pieces…"

The shinobi looked at the black tail, and a shiver ran through their bodies.

Naruto urged caution.

Naruto remained unpredictable.

Naruto was an unstable threat.

"Watch your step," Shino warned.