Anko twirled a stick of dango between her fingers, the sweet glaze glistening in the dim light of the nearly empty shop. The soft chew of rice dough was a melody to her taste buds, a symphony she savored alone—until the door creaked open.
A girl with wavy dark brown hair sauntered in, a subtle swagger in her step, and plopped down at another table. Anko merely continued to enjoy her dango. The girl furtively glanced at Anko, lips twitching as if fighting back a mischievous grin.
"Oi," Anko called casually to the shop owner without looking up from her treat, "hook the lady up with some dango, will ya?"
The owner, a portly man with a perpetual sheen of sweat on his brow, nodded and retreated into the kitchen's sanctuary. Left in a silent standoff, the girl, who was none other than Naruto in disguise, looked like a tanuki caught in a trap—utterly flabbergasted, wordless under the weight of Anko's nonchalant exposure.
"Naruto," Anko said, still smiling as she leaned forward, locking eyes with him. "How'd I bust you so quick, eh?"
Naruto's face scrunched as if he were trying to squeeze out a memory or two. His hand went to the back of his head, scratching in vain for an answer that wasn't there. He opened his mouth, then closed it, the silence stretching like mochi pulled fresh from the pot.
Anko seemed like she wanted to tell him something, but was interrupted as the owner returned, setting a plate of dango before Naruto with such grace, you'd think he was serving royalty. As the aroma wafted up, Naruto gave a blink of surprise, but quickly masked it with his usual bravado.
"Your chakra gave you away, whiskers," Anko finally spilled, her tease turning into a teaching moment. "It's got its own... flavor." She glanced at her skewer of dango as if they held life's mysteries.
"Flavor?" Naruto echoed, brows knitting together as he tried to wrap his head around the concept. "So you're saying everyone's chakra is like... their own cup ramen flavor? And everybody gets a different one?" Doubt seeped into his voice, his metaphor twisting like a leaf in the wind.
"Exactly!" Anko burst out laughing, the sound rich and honest. She reached over and tussled Naruto's disguised hair, giving him a good-natured noogie. "One day, you'll be a great ninja!"
Caught off guard, Naruto squirmed, but the wriggling stopped as Anko's words sunk in. A blush of pride painted his cheeks, and he wore the embarrassment like a badge of honor.
Anko put down her last skewer as she savored the last dango and looked over to Naruto whose face showed a content smile. Anko, a teasing smile on her face, asked "Better than ramen?"
Naruto looked over at Anko, his face in a pout, about to retort but got a questioning look on his face instead. "Ah, a buddy of mine got wind of your famous binging of ramen bowls." she said and laughed.
Naruto blushed but finished his last dango. 'Ramen's still the best...but this is great too!' Naruto thought resolutely.
"Hey, knucklehead, time to head to a training ground!" Anko said and got up from her seat. "I've got something to test your metal."
They walked out of the shop; the owner waved an enthusiastic goodbye and they were on their way.
Naruto's wavy hair was bouncing with each step. Naruto's transformed guise was convincing—villagers' eyes flicking between confusion and disdain at seeing some girl with Orochimaru's former student. An unfamiliar bitterness crept into his throat as he caught their stares, and Naruto's current form did nothing to mask the hurt in his eyes.
"Erm…miss-" He was interrupted by Anko saying "You can call me Anko-san or Anko-nee if you'd like" Anko smiled as she concluded.
"Erm, Anko-san, why do they look at us like that?" Naruto's voice quivered just a tad, betraying his feigned nonchalance.
Anko exhaled sharply, a shadow of annoyance crossing her face before she masked it with a reassuring grin. "Don't mind them. They've just got a beef with my old teacher," she said, her tone light but the undercurrent of frustration unmistakable.
Naruto's brows knitted together, a twinge of sadness for Anko piercing through him. He couldn't fathom how people could hate her simply by association.
"Hey, chin up, yeah?" Anko ruffled his hair, disheveling the brown locks. Her smile widened, warmth reaching her eyes. "Got a few real pals around here. That's all that matters."
Admiration swelled within Naruto, painting his features with a silent vow to always stand by Anko's side.
They finally crossed the threshold into training ground 15—unclaimed territory for the day according to Anko. The field sprawled out before them, white targets dotting the landscape like daisies in a meadow. Naruto's gaze swept across the arena, taking in the array of distances and sizes of the wooden logs.
"Alright, you can lose the get-up now; let's get to some kunai action instead," Anko said with a sly smirk.
With a small nod, Naruto released the transformation, his spiky blond hair instantly recognizable against the backdrop of the training field. As he reclaimed his true form, Anko unfurled a storage scroll with a flourish. A glow emanated from the inscribed symbol as she channeled her chakra, moments before a cloud of smoke heralded the arrival of an arsenal of kunai.
"Whoa..." Naruto muttered, eyes wide as he watched the impressive display of shinobi tools scattering on the ground before him.
Naruto's fingers wrapped around the cool metal of a kunai, his heartbeat quickening with anticipation. Anko watched him, her smile encouraging yet tinged with a seriousness that spoke of the task ahead.
"Your transformation jutsu? Spot on, by the way," she praised, her eyes scanning the field of targets. "Now let's see what aim you've got. That one there—" She pointed to a white target not too far off. "—give it everything."
Determination etched into Naruto's features as he squared his shoulders and locked his eyes on the target. With a grunt, he sent the kunai sailing through the air—only to watch it clatter harmlessly to the ground, yards short of its mark.
"Ah, man..." Naruto deflated, his voice a mix of frustration and disappointment.
Anko's brow creased, but she quickly masked it with an amiable pat on his back. "Kid, you're what, nine? It's normal to miss your first few tries. What matters is that you figure out what you did wrong and do it better, alright?"
"Doesn't feel normal," Naruto mumbled, his blue eyes flickering up to meet hers, searching for some kind of reassurance.
Instead of meeting his gaze Anko walked towards the other end of the range saying, "Watch and learn, Naruto." With theatrical flair, she plucked a kunai from the pile, her gaze meeting his. In one fluid motion, she hurled it across the field. The kunai whistled through the air and struck dead center on the furthest target, a good thirty feet away.
"By the end of the year, you'll be nailing shots like that," she proclaimed, confidence radiating from her. "That's a promise."
Naruto gaped at the distant target, disbelief warring with a surge of inspiration. After a moment of silent awe, he clenched his fist and pumped it energetically. "Yeah! I'm gonna do it, believe it!"
"Thatta boy!" Anko cheered, ruffling his hair once more. Her grin was infectious, and despite his earlier failure, Naruto couldn't help but grin right back.
The sun had begun its descent behind the carved mountain faces of the Hidden Leaf Village, casting long shadows over the training grounds. Anko Mitarashi, her spiky purple ponytail catching the last rays of light, wrapping up the storage scroll with practiced ease.
"Remember Naruto," she said, locking eyes with the blonde-haired boy whose whisker-marked cheeks were flushed from exertion, "an advantage is something you can never have enough of. Don't go wasting kunai."
"Got it, Anko-nee," Naruto replied, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
Her lips curled into a mischievous grin, and she leaned in closer. "Next up, we've got something that'll be a blast."
Naruto's smile faltered as a shiver ran down his spine; Anko's grin seemed to be a little different than usual. "You're gonna prank someone for me. Someone I've been dying to get back at but needed... let's say, a little assistance."
"Wait, what?" Naruto blinked, incredulous. Pranking was his thing, sure, but since when did anyone encourage him to do it?
"Ever heard of a Miss Shinohara, our dear head teacher?" Anko asked with a tilt of her head.
Recognition flashed across Naruto's face, and a matching grin spread wide across it. "Oh, I'm listening."
Kimi's fingers lingered on the spine of a well-thumbed textbook as she placed it atop the neat stack of teaching materials. She was surrounded by the silent echo of an empty classroom, one that would brim with eager minds come morning. It had been years since her promotion to head teacher, and these rare moments before the chalkboard were now fleeting treasures.
She sat down to prepare an outline for the next day's lesson. Line after line it slowly took shape as her hand flew across the page in neat but efficient hand movements. But she couldn't stop but think back to her discourse with Anko Mitarashi. 'It...it is for the good of the village. Kunoichi class is extracurricular and is eating up teaching time better spent on preparing better lessons for other subjects. Shinobi can teach themselves any additional skills on their own!'
Her pencil cracked. She took a deep breath and looked out the window.
'Birds are flying low...better pack a raincoat tomorrow' she thought and gathered her things, the dark classroom silent around her.
Pushing open the door to leave, a sudden rush of icy water cascaded over her. It was like walking into an unexpected rain shower, and she gasped as the chill soaked through her blouse and skirt.
"Naru-TO?!" Her voice echoed sharply off the walls, a mixture of disbelief and anger warming her cold, drenched form. The name came out like a curse, one she was all too familiar with uttering.
Naruto shuffled his feet, his face still split by the grin that had erupted at the success of the prank. Anko's hand came down on his shoulder with a solid thump, her touch both congratulatory and conspiratorial.
"Simple but effective," Anko praised, her own smile sharp as a kunai's blade. "You slipped away without her spotting you. Didn't even have to give you more than the building name—watched her like a true snake in the grass."
Heat crept up Naruto's neck, and he scratched at his whisker-marked cheek, trying to play it cool despite the embarrassment. "Ah, well... sneakiness is part of the job, right?" he said, aiming for nonchalance but sounding more eager than anything.
"Exactly!" Anko agreed, her laughter ringing out. "You're learning fast, brat."
"Speaking of learning…," Naruto began, tilting his head to look up at her with wide, questioning eyes. "What's the next test? Another prank?" The idea set his pulse racing with excitement.
"Whoa, slow down, tiger." Anko's laughter rang clear as evening shadows crept along the training ground. "It's late, and you've got that special class tomorrow. We'll play another day."
"Right, the class..." Naruto muttered, nodding slowly until realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. "Tomorrow's kunoichi class!" Panic flitted across his face, his hands raking through his spiky blond locks as he paced a small circle.
"Hey, hey, look at me," Anko coaxed, a soothing pat on his shoulder halting his anxious orbit. "I'll be there, and your transformation jutsu? It's the perfect disguise, for most. Keep those prying eyes guessing. I'll get the ones who notice on our side." she ended her pep-talk with a smirk.
Naruto peered up at her, hope flickering in his wide, blue eyes.
"Could've just walked in as yourself, though," she continued, leaning closer with a conspiratorial grin. "Just an extra-curricular class, after all."
"Really?" He blinked, the gears in his head grinding to a halt.
"Yup." Anko straightened up and winked. "But hey, where's the fun in that?"