Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One

He was just a boy, that one. One that was not necessarily abandoned nor forgotten, but one that clearly was not treated well enough by those around him. The kindest one he knew, that she knew of, was the Hokage himself and possibly the elderly landlady that could easily forget what had happened only a day prior.

Mizuki had been watching the boy since he had been kicked out of the orphanage for "constantly not listening to his superiors" only months prior. He had wondered into her okiya a few times, the maiko and older geisha's doting on the small boy with simple treats and small bowls of ramen. He had thrived under their words to the point that sometimes he'd clean up after costumers for a hand to pet his hair in thanks or a coo in his general direction. Mizuki herself had caught herself doing similar things, handing the boy a cup of water when he looked slightly parched on the warm day or humming a simple rhyme from her own childhood when he happened to sit next to her.

This realization had brought her to know, as she considered the pros and cons of taking the small demon child under her wing. The others, maiko and geisha alike, knew of the possible dangers of helping the boy that had destroyed their village, whether it was with his own small hands or not, and some had even thoroughly ignored him as he entered the okiya, Mizuki herself at first. She cared little for children, had no need for them in her life, but the little trouble maker had burrowed his way into her heart just like he had her business partners. 

The Hokage probably wouldn't allow it, the old coot, as wise and respected as he was, didn't seem too particularly concerned with the child's mental stability with nearly the entire village hating and mistrusting any action he had done or will do in the possible future. But Mizuki saw potential in the boy. He was a petite thing, won't be in a few years once he gained fat and muscle over those bones, and had a rather feminine face thanks to his mystery of a mother or father. She could see the beauty that was surely going to awaken once he reached his majority and knew that despite his clumsiness she was sure there was something he was talented at. He had nimble fingers, great for a future musician or artist, though his singing was atrocious. That she couldn't fix, even if her life depended on it.

She would surely lose business once her costumers realized who she was teaching the ways of the geisha, but she would accept the slight loss of money to see full cheeks and bright azure eyes on the small Uzumaki boy.

Mizuki glanced over to the small child who was sitting near one of the tables, watching Ren, her best dancer, perform in front of the rest of the okiya's guests. His face was in full awe as the dark haired woman performed her most popular dance, bowl of ramen forgotten as azure eyes shined with amazement. The woman nodded, her choice now made. It would be hard, but she would ask Uzumaki Naruto if he would like to join and train under her and become the first taikomochi in generations.

Naruto wasn't too concerned being in the presence of the red haired geisha before him. She was the most stern out of all of them, sometimes even down to glaring at costumers, but he had seen the soft smiles sent his way when she thought he wasn't paying attention. He wasn't as stupid as most people thought, just preferred not to show how observant he really was. He knew that Mizuki-san wasn't a threat nor would ever be. She had yet to kick him out. 

But he was curious.

They didn't talk much, sometimes just pleasentries that he's heard other adults speak to each other and he's copied in a way. Sometimes she'd ask about what his favourite things were, or hum him a tune he's never heard but enjoyed anyways. He secretly yearns to feel her fingers card through his hair and hear praises from her lips, but knew it wouldn't happen. She was the closest thing to a mother he had guessed would be, in the few times that he's been around her and watched her with the others. 

But, still, he was curious.

"Naruto-kun," she finally spoke, setting the small steaming cup of matcha in front of him. She had a much larger cup herself set before her, small carvings of woodland creatures prancing around the cup. He wondered if she made it herself, just like the paintings that decorated the rooms of the palatial okiya.

"Yes?"

"You've been a favored guest in our home," the red haired woman said, brown eyes staring straight into Naruto's soul. He swallowed thickly, wondering if this was the conversation where he would be banned from this palace. "One that was unwelcome, at first, but has grown to be a constant reminder of the next generation and our love of curious and talented minds like yourself.

"I have considered this for some time," she continued," and discussed this with the others. We would very much enjoy it if you considered training under us to become a taikomochi."

Naruto was sure he was supposed to feel honor, maybe even surprise and admiration, but he was overall confused. He had no idea what a taikomochi was nor what he was supposed to do with a title like that. He had never heard it uttered before and he's been around a lot of people that liked to use complicated words before just to confuse others into thinking that they were smart. 

"Is that like a ninja? Will it help me become Hokage?" he asked. His dream to become Hokage was still there, even if he had been kicked out and disliked by the mean orphange lady that obviously tried her best to kill him as a baby. Whatever didn't kill him obviously made him stronger than her.

"In a way...." the woman trailed off. She paused, took a sip of her tea, and began again. "You will be trained in the arts of the geisha, but since you are not female, you will be given lessons for the males instead. We have suitable teachers that will help you grow into whatever arts you are best in, whether it's musical or dance, kabuki or just hosting with some of our more pleasant guests." Mizuki-san's words hinted at something that Naruto didn't catch, though he caught the shifting of emotion in her eyes that clearly portrayed what she was thinking with those last words.

"What if I want to be a ninja?"

"Then you can do both," she answered. "When you are of age to join the Academy and you still wish to become a ninja, then you will split your time between your taikomochi lessons, ninja training and any free time you have with friends. But know that it will be difficult and you'll have to find a balance between all three."

Naruto hummed and looked at the tea, still warm as steam rised over the green liquid. He could see his face, whisker scars ever present as the green turned his blonde hair until a murky yellow, his eyes looking like aquamarines. It wouldn't be too hard, since he didn't have very many friends, to split his time into three. He just needed a place to live without feeling unwanted.

"...Could I live here, while I do it?" he asked quietly. He knew Yoshie-chan, one of the musicians, and Takeshi-san, a host, lived in one of the smaller rooms upstairs.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Then we have a deal. Believe it!"

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

Years passed slowly, though Naruto didn't seem to mind. Mizuki-san was a good teacher, though sometimes he knew that he frustrated her to no end when he didn't do things in the particular way that he was supposed to. But he eventually managed to do it right and he enjoyed the prideful smile that she would reward him with. He especially loved the times when Mizuki-san was in casual clothes and spent non-training time with him. Those came with hair ruffles, geniune smiles, laughter that came from deep inside and he craved those times more than the dancing lessons.

In a way, Mizuki-san was what he imagined a mother would be, even if she really wasn't.

The other geisha's in the okiya were also very welcoming, though it took some a few months to a year to really warm up to him. Yoshie-san was the one to teach him how to play the instruments he sees on the performance stage and in the back room. Ren-san was very patient with him in his dance lessons, as he wasn't the most graceful at the start and would constantly fall over in the hardest of movements. Takeshi and Mamoru were the only male hosts in the entire okiya, but they weren't training or trained to be like Naruto. Instead they were mostly the ones to serve the guests at that bar, a more modern setting in the traditional house, and take the guests coats when they were greated by the other geisha and shikomi. There were so many more in the okiya that made Naruto's young life to be exciting and filled with love.

But he loved Mizuki-san the most.

Now he's eight years old and was ready to begin his training at the Shinobi Academy. Today was the very first day and he was so excited that he would've stayed up all night if Mizuki didn't threaten to have him wait another year if he didn't get enough sleep. So while he did get the required hours, it wasn't very restful. Though the hyper and energetic didn't seem to mind.

"Would you like me to walk you to the academy?" Mizuki-san asked. She and Yoshie-san were both sitting at the table with him, eating the breakfast that one of the shikomi made. 

Naruto thought about it. He was a bit nervous, as he hadn't really been around any other kids his age in quite a while as he had been too busy with his own lessons to really go out and play at the public playgrounds. He kind of wanted a familiar person around to wish him good luck at school before he went into his classroom. But he also wanted to go by himself to show that he was growing up, wanted to begin being independent. The conflicting thoughts made his head hurt but he made a decision.

"No thank you, Zuki-san," he answered. "But... maybe you can pick me up after school?"

Mizuki gave him a soft smile and nodded. She was a little worried about sending the blond boy off into the big world, getting so used to having him around in her okiya. But she knew that he would have to do it eventually and she didn't have any right to force him to do anything he didn't want to do.

Only an hour later, the workers who were awake, Yoshie-san, Mamoru-kun and Mizuki-san were waving and wish Uzumaki Naruto good luck on his first day of school. He waved back, a large grin on his face as he walked down the street until he turned the corner out of sight. Then, his smile vanished and he frowned, returning to his almost nervous state as his hands gripped onto his brand new backpack that Ren-san bought for him. But he trudged onto the Shinobi academy, his head held high. In a way, he was pretending that he was in his taikomochi training, a book placed on his head for balance and his back straight, gaze parallel with the ground. He held this pose all the way to the academy.

There were kids laughing and playing, already making friends inside their class. Naruto was sitting in the second row, already feel secluded once some of the kids recognized the markings on his face and ostricized him from most of the others. The only person that sat next to him was a kid that was slowly falling sleep, and a kid with triangles on his face (Naruto wondered, silently, if it was face paint or tattoos. No, he definitely wasn't tempted to rub a finger over it to see if it would come off, how dare you suggest that sort of thing!).

Depsite this, Naruto decided that it wasn't that bad of a morning, so far. At least no one was throwing him out.

There were some interesting characters in his class, though. A girl with pink hair was sitting on the asme level as him across from his row, a pale blond girl and a large boy with spiraled cheeks next to her. Behind him was a kid that looked too broody to be normal and a guy wearing sunglasses indoors. Definitely a little weird. From what else he could see without it being too obvious was a girl with white eyes who glanced at him sometimes and then a bunch of brown haired kids with a random blond or redhead that he couldn't see the features of from where he was sitting.

"Ahhhh, when's the sensei gonna be here!" the kid next to him complained, leaning back and stretching his arms to rest on his head. "I'm so booooored!" 

"Ha, me too," Naruto laughed. Maybe he could try and get friends his own age. "Maybe he's stuck in the bathroom or something."

"Haha, locked himself in and now he's falling into the toilet!" the kid continued, causing Naruto to snicker behind his hands at the thought. If Mizuki-san knew he was making toilet humor to make a friend, he might be getting a light slap to the back of his head for such rude manners. But this was becoming realy funny.

On his other side, the kid grumbled as he woke up. "It's too troublesome to try and sleep when it's becoming too loud."

"Man, Shikamaru, you seriously gotta start staying awake now that we're in the academy," the other boy said. Naruto wondered if they were friends before the academy, as he seemed very familiar with the kid. 

"I'm only here to do the littlest work possible that'll satisfy both mom and dad while not getting noticed too much to be picked to do stuff," the kid, Shikmaru, replied. "Besides, napping is good for you. Let's your brain rest after dealing with people like you, Kiba."

"Hey!" the triangle kid, Kiba, remarked. But before he could continue, a cloud of smoke appeared at the front of the classroom and everyone scrambled to their seats.

Their sensei had arrived.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

Naruto had three best friends and they were possibly some of the people he loved the most in his short amount of time on this planet. They did dumb stuff together and it didn't even bother Mizuki-san in the slightest when they came over to play (though, it took a long time for such a thing to happen, considering Naruto's home is still not in the most pleasant of places for young children).

Inuzkua Kiba, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji were constants on the second floor of the okiya, whether it was running around chasing the other or in the kitchen, eating the snacks that Takeshi-kun had made for that days' playdate. Once they managed to tire themselves out, Mizuki-san would send one of the younger maiko's to get the parents of their three visitors so they would have a safe trip home. 

It was then that Mizuki-san gained some more allies outside of the okiya.

The Akimichi family, Choza and Chieko*, were particularly light hearted and didn't mind that Naruto was friends with their son, though they were wary about his home life, as most adults are when they walk past a known okiya. But they realized, after the first few days in the academy, that Naruto was one of Choji's true friends, one that had stood up for him on numerous occasions and brought a bright smile to the taller boy. Choza usually came for Choji during those longer days, carrying his dozing son and wishing Mizuki and the other geisha a goodnight and thanking them for their work. The next morning, on those days, the okiya recieved homemade cookies, made by Chieko herself that had the staff hogging as much as they could carry.

The Inuzuka clan were the most interesting that Mizuki had ever seen enter her halls, though not the strangest. Inuzuka Tsume was very protective her only son and had a hard time trusting the geisha and maiko to watch over Kiba without some form of escort. So her daughter, Hana, had watched over her little brother until Akamaru was gifted to her brother. Both women, after a while, warmed up to the women in the okiya and were seen sitting in the building on their days off, sipping the perfectly made tea from the owner herself, a rare treat to guests. It was well known to those who knew the Inuzuka women, by that time, that badmouthing Mizuki's okiya wasn't the smartest of choices. They knew to fear Tsume's hot temper, but many doubted soft-hearted Hana had the heart to bare her fangs, which lead to many's downfall.

Lastly, the Nara clan were the easiest to give in out of all three of Naruto's newest best friends. Shikaku was known to be a bit of a passive strategist, easy tempered in most conversations and, to be painfully obvious, a slight alcoholic on some of the harder days. It was a surprise, really, when strict and tempered Nara Yoshino was the first of the two to let her son visit at the Okiya. Mizuki had visited them, as she did with all of Naruto's friends, to meet them personally before the first playdate at his home, and had many topics to bring up in case it was a struggle, but she left an hour later surprised and estatic that she didn't have to fight too hard for Naruto's sake.

So it wasn't much of a surprise to Mizukia-san when four boys, nearly old enough to be genin at this point, came barreling into the private floor of her okiya, dropping their bags on the floor and rushing to the kitchen to gather snacks and other necessary needs before they locked themselves into Naruto's room. She merely sighed, finished her tea, and went downstairs to help her employees distract their customers from any loud noises that usually accompanied a group of rowdy pre-teens.

She only hoped that the other three families didn't have to deal with this much noise in their own home.

"Today in class we'll be reviewing the art of transformation!" Iruka-sensei called out. It was the day before the final exam, the day where up and coming ninja graduate and become genin and official nin of Konohagakure. And Iruka-sensei was irritated that morning. He didn't know why, his students definitely didn't know why, but a part of him felt like he needed to torture his students one last time before they could graduate. "All you have to do is conjure a form that looks like me!"

Naruto groaned. The secret arts were not his forte, no matter how hard he trained with Mamoru and Ren-san on the days he wasn't training with Mizuki-san. Not even the help of actual Clans, those who trained their young at ages before the academy would accept them, could help, though Shikaku-sama came close out of all three that Naruto had visited.

The blond grumbled with the rest of his class, standing next to Shikamaru who looked like he'd rather be somewhere else then here. Though, that was Shikamaru's normal outlook. 

One after another, his classmates made somewhat perfect replicas of Iruka, a few differences here and there, until they made it to Naruto.

"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered, his hands forming the signs. He channeled the chakra through his body, feeling the familiar vibrations of heat coarsing alongside his veins until his body practically vibrated with energy.

His body changed, growing taller and fatter and thinner all at once. In milliseconds, the cloud of smoke dsiappeared and in it's place was a rather attractive, naked, blonde woman, the whiskered cheeks undeniablly belonging to Naruto as she gave a blowing kiss at his sensei.

Iruka was flung backwards in a powerful flurry of blood. Naruto poofed back into his 12 year old body, laughing hysterically. That was definitely one way to get out of doing a jutsu he was rubbish with. 

"Hahaha, I call that one the Ninja Centerfold!" he laughed, holding onto his stomach. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his friend's antics next time him, but a small smile made it's way through onto his face. He should've known that Naruto would've made some form of mess up on this jutsu, though practically avoiding even doing it was one that he didn't consider to be higher on the list of mess ups. The brunett wondered what Mizu-san was going to do once she found out what Naruto was in trouble for that day.

"That little troublemaker... What will I do with him!" She'd probably say, shaking her head at the boy's antics. Though the smile on her face, soft and full of heartwarming love, would surely give away her faux disappointment.

"NARUTO!" Iruka growled out, annoyed. "You waste all of your time and talent inventing these stupid tricks! Graduating at this rate will need a miracle on itself!"

Naruto glared at the floor. He knew he wasn't the best, probably dead last if his grades were anything to say. BUt he had hoped there would be some form of loophole for graduating. Wasn't there a kid who graduated without the use of chakra? He could totally ace that test if he was given the chance to take it.

Iruka sighed. "You need to keep practicing on your jutsus, Naruto, that'll actually help you on the field if you want to become a ninja. If not, then you need to rethink your career choice."

Naruto shuffled back to his seat, slumping on the chair and his head thumped harshly onto the table. It muffled his groan as Iruka watched Shikamaru perform a perfect transformation. 

"Naruto, I'm sure you'll do fine tomorrow," a voice said in front of him. A row down, Kiba was giving the blond a look, one filled with sympathy and hope that Naruto knew he didn't need. "Maybe Mizu-san has an idea on what you could do tomorrow?"

"We've done everything we could think of," Naruto grumbled back, squinting in annoyance. He squished his cheek on the cold surface of the table. "Nothing works. It's, like, something's wrong inside of me. I feel like Mizu-san knows but won't tell me and everyone else just gives me those pity looks whenever I try and practice in the yard and it gets annoying fast." He sighed. "I don't know, maybe I'll try something after school."

"So..." Kiba trailed off, glancing at Iruka who was nearing the end of the line of students. "Does that mean no Ichiraku after school?"

"We're going to Ichiraku after?!" Naruto perked up.

"Duh."

"Then of course we're having Ichiraku after school!"

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

"For your final exam, you must each generate a doppelganger!" Iruka-sensei told the class. He held up a clipboard, a serious look on his face. "Wait here until your name is called and then come next door." The brown haired man glanced down at the paper and called the first name. The poor soul gulped and followed their teacher, leaving the rest of the students to nervously mingle amongst each other.

Naruto merely growned and let his head thump loudly on the desk, silently crying at his misfortune. The doppelganger was probably his worse techinque in all the world's known techniques. He had worked for hours the night before just trying to do each known academy jutsu to almost complete perfection with Mizu-san calmly watching him while he did.

                                ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"Agghhh! I just don't get how this is supposed to work! It was almost fine last time but now it's just a flat pancake!" Naruto growled, watching as the deformed version of himself poofed away in sad looking smoke. He glared at the spot it formerly "stood" way longer than necessary but he was frustrated. 

"Naruto-kun," Mizu-san spoke up, her cup of tea steaming besides her. "I still think that it's possible that you're using too much chakra this time."

Naruto pouted. "But last time you said I was using too little chakra. When is it going to be perfect?!" He sighed and kicked a rock that sat innocently nearby, crossing his arms across his chest. "It's just... annoying, Mizu-san. I've been learning these for years, I've been practicing as best as I can, and still I get results that never make sense!"

Mizu-san sighed along with him and patted the empty spot besides her. Naruto didn't hesitate to trudge over and plop right down on the ground and lean in to her side, snuggling closer when her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He didn't realize how tired he felt until he was securely comfortable in her arms.

The two were the only ones in the private training area. It was just a small closed off part of the back of the okiya, perfessionally built around the time Naruto started his training at the Academy. Only the okiya personnel were allowed inside, along with Naruto and his closest of friends. It was big enough for a small boy of twelve to train, though many were suspecting that they might need to make it larger if the latest growth spurt told them anything. 

"I just don't want to fail again tomorrow...." Naruto said, eyes drooping slightly. Fingers combed lightly through his hair, silently egging on the drowsiness that threatened to succumb him. The Okasan was humming softly and slowly, a lullaby that Naruto was rather fond of. "I don't know what I would do if I failed again and watched all of my friends go and be ninja without me."

Mizu-san smiled faintly, leaning down to plant a kiss in Naruto's hair. "I'm positive that you'll do your absolute best tomorrow, Naruto-kun. I also trust that, even if the worst happens, you'll make it up in the best way possible. And we'll welcome you home no matter which happens."

                                   ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka's voice called out. The blonde gulped, but stood on shaky legs and followed Iruka-sensei into the next room, where he and Mizuki-sensei sat behind a table with headbands laying in rows on top of it.

"Whenever you're ready, Naruto," Iruka said. Mizuki only leaned forwards and gave an encouraging smile. 

Naruto took a deep breath before channeling chakra into his hands as he did the signs of the doppleganger jutsu. "Behold! A perfect double!"

Next to him poofed a sad copy of himself, its mouth droopy and its entire body as floppy as a wet noodle. It attempted to stand up proudly next to its original, but it fell over with its butt proudly in the air. 

Naruto blanched. His judges did not look impressed.

"You fail," Iruka-sensei said, looking more disappointed then he felt. Naruto was crestfallen, nearly drooping down to the level of his doppelganger before it poofed away.

"Master Iruka.." Mizuki-sensei spoke up. Naruto perked, hope creeping in. "This is his third time, and he did manage to basically conjure up his other self, even if it was a little flawed.... What if we just give him a break and..."

The other teacher cut him off. 

"The answer is no, Mizuki. Every student is supposed to generate three doppelgangers. Naruto only produced one and he did it very badly." Iruka didn't even glance over at the blonde the whole time speaking these harsh words. "With all do respect, his performance doesn't merit a passing grade."

Naruto glared down at the floor as he walked out of the room. He didn't bother mingling around with the others who had graduated, talking excitedly to each other. He didn't even see Shikamaru or Kiba or Choji or any of his other friends among them, not that he wanted to see them without a headband anyways. 

He knew, deep deep deep deep deep down, that they wouldn't've cared if he passed or not. Sure they'd be as disappointed as he was, but they would've still gone out for celebratory ramen or barbeque. Whoever was willing to pay chose the destination, of course. Shikamaru would've told him that while teachers were smart they were obviously dumb not to give him a headband for doing his best and Choji would agree alongside him. Kiba might give him a pat on the back and let him cuddle Akamaru for a bit to make him feel better before trying to steal pieces of his food. If Shino was there, well, he might try to make Naruto feel better in a way the blonde couldn't think of, but he knew the silent boy would try at least.

Thinking about it made the deep gut wrenching sobs that threatened to come out shrink a bit to a more managable degree of internal pain as he watched more newly ranked genin come out of the testing room to join their joyous friends. He overheard some of the parents shouting excitedly alongside their offspring, congratulating them and celebrating. 

He was glad he asked Mizu-san to stay at the okiya today.

"Hey, isn't he the kid who-?"

"Yeah, that's him. The only one who failed!"

Naruto looked over at the two women standing only meters away. They must've been parents of some of his classmates, but he couldn't recognize who they belonged to from here. 

"Serves him right. Can you imagine if they let someone like that become a shinobi? I mean, think about what he is..."

"Don't even go there..."

He left before he could hear more trash from random women of the village he lives in.

"Naruto!"

The blonde looked behind him, startled at someone calling his name so loudly. "Mizuki-sensei?!"

The white haired man's grin slipped slowly off his face before he asked, "Do you mind if we talked?"

He panted as he sat in one of the forests, leaning up against the tree behind him as he caught his breath. The large heavy scroll was laying next to him, filled with the knowledge that could let him become a ninja. Afterall, Mizuki-sensei did say that this could help him make up for his exam scores and let him become a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf!

Once he was sure he wouldn't pass out, he grabbed the large scroll and unraveled it on his lap. "Okay, let's see, the first technique in the scrolls is multiple dopplegangers," Naruto read. He groaned. "Man, my least favorite art and suddenly it's turning up all over!"

But he laid it flat on the ground and began to go over the signs.Ram. Serpant. Tiger. Ram. Serpant. Tiger. Ram, serpant, tiger. Ram serpant tiger. Ramserpanttiger. RAMSERPANTTIGER!

He channeled the charkra to his hands and hoped to god that it finally worked. The signature smoke like sound, a poof if you will, emitted multiple times around him and Naruto opened his eyes. 

And grinned.

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

Mizuki was worried. It had been a few hours since the Ninja Academy was normally let out and Naruto still had not arrived home. She had, of course, expected him to be later than normal, as it was graduation day and there was sure to be celebrating occuring. As a hopeful parental figure, though, she had hoped to see a happy blonde genin walking through her okiya's doors with a headband proudly on his head with a need to celebrate with his family.

However, it was past dinner time and there was still no sign of Naruto.

One more hour and she'll go on a hunt with her best trackers. She was sure the Inuzuka clan could spare a few nins to search for her ward.

She could wait an hour for that....

"About time, Nosebleed!" Naruto grinned as soon as Iruka-sensei landed in front of him in the forest. "I found you!" The large scroll was now on his back, the blonde finding that learning that one jutsu would be enough to pass onto genin-hood before he was being chased by his sensei through the forest.

"No you fool!" Iruka yelled. "I found you!" The brown haired man was clearly pissed, yet the preteen was still grinning excitedly up at him.

"Heh, I guess you have got me. Too bad you were so fast. I've only memorized one technique!" Naruto put his hands on his hips, posing proudly in front of Iruka-sensei. He was sure if Mizu-san was here she'd be proud.

Iruka merely frowned until he noticed how dirty and worn down Naruto appeared. He was covered in dirt and sweat and his clothes looked far more wrinkeld then it did earlier that afternoon. "You look exhaused. What have you been doing?" he asked him.

Naruto perked up. "Wait'll I show you! I never dreamed.... some of the shinobi arts are so amazing! I'm sure Mizu-san would love to see them and see if they'd be good for the okiya! But anyways, if I show I've mastered these techniques, you'll have to let me graduate!" 

Iruka was shocked, but eyed the scroll that was attached to Naruto's back. He remembered Mizuki saying something about Naruto taking one of the sacred texts, but he felt uneasy with Naruto's words.

"Naruto.... What's up with that scroll you're carrying?" he questioned, playing dumb.

The boy looked behind him at the sacred scroll. "What, this? Mizuki-sensei told me about it and about this place!" he said. Then he turned back around and faced his teacher, a grin back on his face. "He said if I could show you I learned the techniques in this scroll, you'd let me become a shinobi!" Naruto had his hands lifted, ready to show Iruka-sensei his new jutsu he was sure he perfected, before he was pushed out of the way, the sound of metal hitting something solid. 

Naruto flinched, expecting some to hit him, but instead he hit the hard ground with a thud and winced. He was sure to bruise and wouldn't that worry the geishas at home.

"I'm surprised that you figured out where to go," a new voice entered. Standing on a branch, weapons on display, was Mizuki-sensei with a sinister smirk on his face. He wiped it off after Iruka yelled at him and he paid attention to the kid below. "The scroll, Naruto. Give it to me."

Naruto freaked out. 

"Dude! I mean, come on! What is this?!" he pointed at Iruka, a couple of kunai sticking out of his body.

"Don't let him have it, Naruto! Protect that scroll with your life!" Iruka-sensei countered, still glaring up at Mizuki. "It's more dangerous than you can imagine - it holds the record of a copmletely forbidden ninja art! Mizuki used you because he wants it for himself!" 

She couldn't wait an hour. She was out the door of her okiya, leaving Mamoru-kun in charge, before she was walking towards the houses of her allies: Nara, Akimichi and Inuzuka.

Mizuki-san walked swiftly to the first compound on her list, the closest being the Akimichi clan. She knocked hard on the door, hoping that someone was near enough to hear. She had been inside once to know that the dining tables were surprisingly far from the front door.

The door opened.

"Mizu-chan? Is something the matter?" Chieko-san questioned. The other woman's hair was down and cascading down her back, some of the brunette strands drapping over her shoulder and framing her round cheeks. Green eyes met brown, a mother's eyes gazing into another's. 

"I'm sorry for coming around so late, Chieko-chan," Mizuki-san said, "but Naruto-kun hasn't come home yet and I was wondering if maybe he went home with Choji-kun tonight."

Chieko frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mizu-chan, but we picked Choji up after he passed his genin exam and went to celebrate early today. Choza and I didn't see Naruto come out."

Mizuki-san nearly deflated but held firm, taking a deep breath to calm her fears. 

"Oh."

"B-But if you need us to, we can help you look for him," Chieko offered. "I understand how worrying this can be and if you need any help looking for Naruto-kun, Choza and I would be more than happy to help you look."

"Thank you, Chieko-chan, but I'll keep looking myself," Mizuki-san answered. "If you do happen to see him walking past going home, though, please let me know if you can."

"Of course, Mizu-chan."

Mizuki-san left the Akimichi compound quickly, heading towards the Nara clan, their compound resting just outside the Nara forest. 

The red haired woman knocked firmly on the door, knowing that Yoshino would be at the door in seconds. She was not lying, as only a minute later the stern faced woman was standing in place of the door, a hand resting on her hip. Her face went from frowning to surprise when her eyes landed on Mizuki-san.

"Mizu-chan? What are you doing here?"

"Good evening, Yoshino-chan, I apologize if I'm interupting, but I was wondering if Naruto-kun went home with Shikamaru-kun today," Mizuki-san asked. "He hasn't come home yet.... and I'm getting a bit worried."

"I'm sorry, Mizu-chan, but Shikamaru came home with just his father this afternoon. No Naruto," Yoshino answered. "I'll send Shikaku out if you need help searching for him though. He wouldn't mind."

Mizuki shook her head. "Thank you, but I'll keep looking myself. If you do happen to see Naruto-kun, however, will you-"

"I'll make sure he gets home safely, don't you worry."

"Thank you, Yoshino-chan."

Her last stop was the Inuzuka clan. She hoped they would give her better news then the others have....

"Heh, heh, guess I got carried away..." Naruto chuckled nervously. Between him and his injured sensei laid a beaten Mizuki-sensei, face covered in blood and knocked out cold. The white haired man was no match for a hundred Narutos, and it clearly showed.

"Naruto," Iruka-sensei smiled, a weight lifted off his shoulders. It had been a long few hours, exhausting and filled with so much emotion that it made the brown haired man feel older than he was. "Come here. I've got a present for you."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, but he did as he was told. Iruka told him to close his eyes, so he did, even more confused. He heard fabric rustle before feeling something thick and warm wrap around his head, tighting behind him after a few tugs and snags on his hair. He was curious to find out what it was, after all he had his goggles taken off as well and wanted to make sure they were all right, but he kept his eyes closed anyways. When it stopped he asked if he could open his eyes.

"Yes, Naruto, you can," Iruka said, smiling. When shocked blue eyes met his, his grin widened. "Congratulations graduate! To celebrate this, I'll take you out! We can do ramen!"

Naruto's lips trembled, too exhausted to control it, before he launched himself at Iruka and wrapped his arms around him in a squeeze. Iruka gasped, a bit of pain spreading from his wounds (which he admonished Naruto to be careful of), but he wrapped his arms around the boy in return.

"I already knew about the fox stuff," Naruto said suddenly, voice muffled by Iruka's vest. 

"What?"

"The Nine-Tails," Naruto said, separating from his former teacher. "Mizu-san sat me down a year or so ago and told me all about what happened. It... It still hurt, though, when Mizuki-sensei was telling it, but not as bad as it could've been. No one else knows that I know, other than you and Mizu-san. But I'll let you in cause I think you're awesome and I'm sure you can help me play dumb with it, heehee."

Iruka looked down at the blonde in shock. "How... How much did Mizu-san tell you?" he asked. It was a super big hush-hush secret, though he knew parents of his students had a hard time keeping quiet at times. But even then, they were all told never to tell the boy in question what had happened.

"Enough," was all Naruto said. "Though, speaking of Mizu-san, I should probably go home. It's really late and there's no doubt I'm going to have a butt load of chores thanks to coming home so late!"

"You're damn right, young man," Mizu-san's voice cut through. A series of barks came after, a couple of nin dogs running through the bushes followed by the red haired woman herself, her arms cross and her face fuming with so many emotions. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when you didn't come home?!"

Both Naruto and Iruka winced at her tone.

"E-Excuse me, Mizuki-san, I'm terribly sorry-eep!" Iruka couldn't help the high pitched sound escaping when a glare was sent his way by the shorter woman. "B-But Naruto had been caught up in a situation that I'm sure once explained could ease your worries."

"I highly doubt that, Umino-san," Mizuki said, her voice flat, "that whatever you tell me will ease and explain the worry and panic I've been in for hours while I searched for Naruto-kun when he should've been home, having dinner with his family, instead of in a forest covered in bruises."

"I am really sorry that this happened," Iruka said again. "I'm afraid that Naruto didn't pass his graduation exam this afternoon, and my colleague had told him that if he stole a sacred scroll and learned the jutsu inside he could graduate on special circumstances. Instead my colleague had other motives and we had to deal with him." Upon saying it outloud, Iruka had little hope that that would clear up the atmosphere.

"But I did graduate, Mizu-san!" Naruto jumped in. He pointed towards the new headband on his head. "Look, look!" The blonde grinned more once Mizuki looked at him and then at the metal plate showing his status as a full-fledged shinobi.

"Congratulations!" Mizuki replied, smiling herself, though it quickly turned sinister. "But that doesn't mean that you're in big trouble." 

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

"Nii-chan!" a voice yelled out, high pitched and annoying. A slamming of the okiya doors alerted everyone to a new arrival to the okiya, another child among the others that had flown through their doors over the last few years. This one was younger than what was now common, and Takeshi could only wonder if this was the sudden new "rival" of Naruto's that he had talked about the other day.

The boy couldn't be older than seven or eight years old, years younger than Naruto and his friends. His brown hair was hidden underneath a rather hideous hat, a long scarf trailing behind him as he sauntered into the okiya. The boy reminded Takeshi a bit of Naruto when he was younger, though this one was not as cocky and seemed about as childish as Naruto can be now. He made his way to the bar, where Takeshi was standing behind.

"Excuse me?" Takeshi questioned, eyebrows raised on the young child. "I don't believe any of our patrons have such young brothers such as you." 

"Hmmph," the child sighed, crossing his arms. "My eternal rival, Uzumaki Naruto is my nii-chan, of course!" He said it like it was as obvious as saying the sky was blue and the grass was green. "I need him to train me so I can learn all his secrets and become Hokage before he does!"

Takeshi grinned. "And who should I say is calling?" He leant his arms against the top of the counter. 

"His eternal rival and student - Konohamaru!" he yelled. Some of the patrons nearby glanced over and dropped their jaws. Takeshi just wondered why the grandson of the current Hokage wanted to be the rival of their Naruto.

"I'll let him know that you're here. But I should tell you, he's currently in a lesson with Mizuki-san," Takeshi chuckled. And probably would be for the next hour, at the earliest , he thought. Naruto had been slacking slightly on his Taikomochi training the last few days. Something about trying to find the perfect outfit and makeup techniques for his ninja license. Because of that wasted time, Mizuki had pulled him away from his free time to catch up for what he was failing on. Like actually applying the right amount of makeup instead of wasting it for a single picture he had to retake anyways.

“No need, Takeshi-kun,” a voice called from above. Konohamaru and Takeshi glanced up. Mizuki was dressed in the traditional geisha garb, a colorful kimono detailed with embroidered cranes in flight and falling orchid petals. Her hair was up in the traditional look most geisha have worn, a silver kanzashi resting carefully between the folds of her hair. Her face and neck was painted white with the traditional oshiroi, with bright red painted on her lips, her eyes framed with a light dusting of pink. Besides her, Naruto had on similar makeup, though with more red on his lips. He was pouting, brows furrowed as he glanced over the side of the railing. He wore a simple Yukata, black and not as flashy as he would’ve preferred. The obi was beige and only had one long white stripe in the middle as it wrapped around the lower part of his waist. 

“We just finished our lesson on maiko makeup for the day, since Naruto-kun wanted to practice it so much the other day,” Mizu-san said. She had a stern look on her face, one that screamed “There shall be no nonsense in this house!”, but amusement flickered in her brown eyes. Naruto’s face twisted down even more, even going as far as slouching beside her and crossing his arms. A light pinch on his elbow from the older woman easily corrected his horrible posture.

“He should be right down after he cleans up, Konohamaru-san,” Mizu-san said, directing her attention to the small child. She gave him a small smile before she motioned for Naruto to head to his room and wash up, the Okaa-san following shortly after him, returning to her rooms to look over important documents that required her attention.

Naruto bounded down the stairs quickly once all the makeup was washed from his face. His normally bright orange ensemble was back on and he wore a cheery grin on his face, stretching the whisker marks even further along his cheeks. He greeted Konohamaru with enthusiasm, no longer looking like a grumpy puppy, and waved goodbye to the host.

Takeshi waved back, watching as the two ran out of the Okiya and into the streets, no doubt going to cause mischief and chaos among the citizens. The headache they were more than likely going to bring back will be big, Takeshi had no doubts. Mizu-san would not be happy if it was big enough to get the Hokage involved but he knew that Mizu-san wouldn’t want Naruto to be anything other than himself.

Even if he was a pain in the ass sometimes.

***

The first and last day back at the academy came sooner than Naruto thought it would. He woke up early enough to brush his teeth, eat the breakfast that Mamoru prepared for the geisha and maiko of the okiya and quickly dressed. He placed the hitai-ate on last, leaving his old pair of goggles on the dresser. It shouldn’t have been as sentimental as it felt, but a small part of him missed the weight the goggles had carried, a bit of care-freeness that he knew he probably won’t ever experience again. In a way, the hitai-ate was a coming-of-age experience that most ninja experienced, but it hit him full force this morning. He didn’t linger on the feeling long.

He had a team to meet!

Naruto wasted no time in getting to the academy. He even rushed a good-bye to Mizu-san and Takeshi, who were waiting at the entrance to wish him luck. That kind of attitude Mizu-san was sure to reprimand him for later, but Naruto had little thought to care at the moment. He was too excited to find out how strong his team was going to be and the stories he was going to tell to Konohamaru once they got done with their meeting!

Everyone who was already there when he arrived seemed shocked to see him there. Many of them knew he didn’t pass the original exam, and he had a few come up to ask. He gave the same answer: “Can’t you see the headband? Obviously I passed! You must be remembering wrong!” The looks he received were one of the best reactions yet. Unreserved shock, confusion and disbelief all rolled into one amazing reaction feast.

A flash of pink grabbed his attention from his musings.

Haruno Sakura stood just feet away, staring in his general direction with a smile on her face and her own hitai-ate tied fashionably in her hair. It did little to hide her large forehead and only accented the long bangs that framed her face. A small flutter in his heart brought a flush to his face and Naruto couldn’t help but think, despite how vast her forehead was, she was still really pretty. Her eyes were probably his favorite shade of green.

“Naruto, move it!” she screeched, pointing a finger at him. “I’m trying to get around you!” 

The blond ninja snapped out of his thoughts and looked to see who could’ve possibly gained Sakura’s undying attention. Who could possibly be the one to dissolve the quiet beauty of Sakura’s features and unleash the hellion hell-beast that secretly lived inside such a girl?

His eyes caught on to Uchiha Sasuke. The guy was obviously a total hottie in the eyes of nearly every girl in their class. Some guys too, if whispers were to be true. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark aura, dark everything. Naruto was sure he might’ve seen dark underwear peek out from those bright white shorts that he seemed to keep impeccably clean. 

Naruto had long ago ceased his jealousy over Sasuke years ago. Mizuki-san was quick to nip that toxic behavior in the bud as soon as she caught wind of it. It was still hard, at times, to remember that Sasuke had as hard of a life growing up as he had.

Mizuki did not lie to him when he asked her about it. The shock of suddenly having your entire family ripped from you, seeing the proof yourself, and coming out sunshine and daisies was obviously not going to happen for someone so young. 

“He has few ways of coming out of that situation…” Mizuki-san had said. “Cold and heartless is one, where he loves no one but himself and secludes himself away from those that still care. Bright on the outside but hurting on the inside until he gives in and becomes as destructive as he feels. Or trying to fill the void that was ripped out of him and being used for such a vulnerability, to name a few. He, like you, has a path that he is following and you should never be jealous over the choices people in his life make that affect him way more than it affects you. 

Jealousy solves nothing. It makes something that should be beautiful into something ugly and unwanted. Try and understand, from his perspective, and see how you might feel. It’s hard, and only the strong can do it. I trust you can figure that out and be one of the strongest who can understand the shoes he has to fill, has to walk in, Naruto. ” 

He had taken a few days to soak those words in, a quiet resolve surrounding his room for days that worried many of the geisha as their favorite blond was so somber and it was highly unusual. Mizuki-san had calmed their worries once they were brought up, a smile on her face as she watched her boy work so diligently to figure things out himself.

“ How can someone help someone like that? ” he had asked. It had been the fourth or fifth day since their initial conversation. 

“ Be kind. Try to understand what they are trying to show, not what they say when it becomes hurtful. They will be harsh if you try to help, but patience is a big key in letting them show you how they really feel behind those hurtful words. ”

Naruto had been consistent since then to be kind to Sasuke, or as kind as Uzumaki Naruto could be. He never pranked the other kid, never tried to intentionally be mean, redirected the hostility of his other friends and sometimes took the brunt of his fangirls when it looked like Sasuke was having a rougher day than normal. He wasn’t sure if Sasuke had noticed, or was even paying attention to anyone outside his little emo bubble, but a part of Naruto felt better knowing that he was helping a kid, one that could’ve easily been him if he wasn’t careful, find a path that he could walk on without being burned by intense flames or shadowed by something terrifying and unseen.

“Well? Are you going to move or am I going to have to move you myself?” Sakura’s voice cut in. Naruto grumbled but moved. Sakura’s pretty face hid the strength that he knew would undoubtedly be a big force of nature to overcome. He’s been hurt enough by her brute strength, and this day had started off so good he didn’t want to go home bruised because he refused to move from a bully harsh order.

Sakura seemed to be floating on air once she settled between Naruto and Sasuke and Naruto merely frowned and leaned back in his seat. It wasn’t a big deal, honestly, but it still irked something inside him. He wasn’t going to be a dick about it. If Mizuki-san found out….

It wasn’t long for Iruka-sensei to step into the classroom, calming the rest of the graduates down to sit in their seats and start forming their teams.

“From this day forward, you are no longer mere students of ninjutsu, but full-fledged shinobi!” he said proudly. His eyes locked with Naruto’s and both grinned at each other. He continued, looking around the classroom again. “But, among the ranks of the shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. Your greatest challenges all lie ahead.

The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village. We will begin by dividing you into three-man cells. Each of which will be mentored by a jonin, a more senior ninja who will guide you and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments.”

Naruto wondered who he’d be paired with. He didn’t know everyone in his graduating class well enough. Shikamaru would be nice, he was smart and didn’t mind Naruto’s attention too much. He sometimes thought he was troublesome, but Shikamaru thought anything other than a good game of shogi, a nap, and a warm afternoon gazing at a cloud filled sky was troublesome.

Kiba would probably be a disaster to be paired up with.They were just too similar sometimes, that Naruto was sure that they’d tear at each other’s throats if they weren’t already best friends. It would be fun at first, but the damage they could bring to whoever they were helping probably wouldn’t appear that way.

Choji would be amazing to be paired with, just for the snacks alone. Naruto was sure if he wasn’t so sure on being a ninja, a professional cook would be his next occupation of choice. He had a lot of stamina too and was sure training more on just a casual level like the quartet of friends sometimes did would be a blast to figure out.

Those were his top three choices, but he doubts that they’d be picked. Takeshi mentioned, when his brother was a teacher for a bit at the academy, that the graduating class’ teacher had a final say on teams when they were put together. And if that was true, then Iruka-sensei was sure to separate Naruto from his three best friends. For the sake of the village. 

“I made the selections so that each cell’s abilities would be approximately equal,” Iruka-sensei continued. He started to name teams from the clipboard he had in his hand. Naruto could feel his palms sweat with nerves but tried his best to school his features like Mizuki had taught him. The best entertainers could control their emotions. The best ninja could as well. If he couldn’t do that, he couldn’t be either. 

“Next, cell number seven: Uzumaki Naruto…” 

Said boy perked up at his name.

“...Uchiha Sasuke…”

Naruto glanced over Sakura to see the unchanging face of Sasuke. He was still hunched over the desk, resting his elbows on the surface as he linked his hands together in front of his chin. His mouth was hidden behind his knuckles, but from his angle Naruto could easily see if his mouth had moved up or down at the news. It hadn’t changed from before the announcement. 

“...and Aburame Shino.”