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Chapter Text

He opened his eyes and sat up. The chains dangling from his wrists, ever present. Not that he cared. He walked towards the bars over his cell, blue eyes reflecting dim lights like cat’s, as he watched for movement. His slit pupils moving, following, the person outside his cell. It was…eerie.

But the masked person standing outside the cell knew that they can’t just turn around and escape.

Prisoner #7610 have always been tricky.

The 10 years old wasn’t normal and everyone in the maze of underground facility knew this. The masked person cleared their throat and said, “#7610! It is time for training!”

Training. 7610 didn’t mind training. It was certainly better than waiting for a new order in his cell. The blond haired child stepped outside, ignored the added shackles on their wrists as they followed the masked person holding their leash towards the center of the building. The shackles hummed dully, sucking out excess chakra. Honestly, for people who considered themselves elite…they really forget the most fundamental thing about chakra. It was…hilarious.

If he understood hilarity and irony, maybe he would have laugh.

But 7610 didn’t have a flicker of emotion behind his glass doll’s eyes.

They placed him in the arena. He can sense the cripple watching him. A few Nuke-nin snatched off the streets and forests outside the facility were thrown into the arena. 7610 watched them, tilting his head in childlike curiosity. The group of harassed Shinobi deserters glared at him, hackles raised and guards up.

Cripple said, “#7610…execute them,”

7610 hummed. He never questioned why he was tested with life and death battle. He only knew that he didn’t want to die and that it was something to do. He grinned, a too wide and too sharp imitation of a grin. His eyes too bright and too eager. Before the deserters could say anything, bloodlust flooded the arena. It wasn’t the intent to kill. No. That was too tame. This was something more primal and…cruel.

A cat eager to play its prey to death.

So that was what 7610 did. He ‘played’ with the Nuke-nin deserters. They were given weapons and sealing tags to kill him. Was encouraged to kill him. But 7610 didn’t care. He wasn’t killing. He was playing. Blood might as well be confetti to him. Exploding guts might as well be party poppers. The dolls broke. Limps torn. Inside shredded. Stuffings scattered all around with him in the center.

Messy?

7610 didn’t care.

He was bored.

Cripple said, “If you keep being messy, you will not be allowed out,”

7610 shrugged, “Inside. Outside. All the same to me,”

Boring. All these deaths, these bloody training, they were all a bore to him. He purposefully made it messy. They won’t be able to see him coming either way. Life was just a buzz of staying alive. Not because he wanted to but because he needed to. As he washed himself in his bathtub, he looked at the seal on his abdomen.

It was a beautiful work of art.

His death would be explosive.

He looked at the ceiling, feeling the water weighing down his messy blond locks. The sound of water dripping from the broken faucet was hypnotic. He felt time slowing around him. The bathroom’s light flickered over head.

He slipped under.

What was the meaning of life?

7610 didn’t know. His name was no name but a series of numbers. 7610 was just the first four numbers in that series of numbers that he didn’t care to remember. His life was a repetitive motion of wake up, eat, train, kill, train, kill, wash up, eat, wait for more orders, eat, sleep, and rinse to repeat tomorrow.

It was despairingly dull.

He was named a weapon, forged in hellfire to be used in battle. But he felt more like a decorative blade than one used on the battlefield. Pretty and sharp, forged to perfection, but utterly useless. All because he does whatever he wanted regardless of order. Due to this, he had never seen the so called sun or moon ever. His whole life circulated around what the Cripple want and didn’t want.

He was perfect…if only he didn’t have freewill.

Cripple tried to curse him. Tried to silent him like the others. 7610 had seen the Cursed Tongue Eradication seal that the others were burdened with. They tried to put that on him but instead lose their fingers in their attempt. 7610 couldn’t care less about those damned cursed seal. Somehow, despite his blasé attitude towards everything around him, he refused to be controlled. In fact, he started giving those seals his attention.

Starting with the one on his belly.

“You’re going to drown,”

7610 came up for air, breathing in the stale smell of underground and filling his suffocated lungs. He was aware why they were trying to break him and make him submissive. The fox inside him wasn’t exactly hiding from him. In fact, he was pretty noisy. Well, the fact that he was on the way to have a complete mental breakdown probably played a part in how eager he was to have 7610 speak to him.

Not that 7610 was much of conversationalist. The most he figured out was to share his sight with the fox sealed inside him. The fox at least gave him entertaining commentary about this person and that person. 7610 was just content on watching from the sideline.

“Are you going to do it today?”

7610 tapped his fingers.

The fox said nothing as lunch was brought to the cell. The black training gi that the boy wore felt scratchy from starch. He hated it when they starch his clothes. And whoever thought it was a good idea to starch underwears was just diabolical. After that incident, he refused to wear any underwear. 7610 ate quietly, going through his plan in his mind where no one can peak. Unless it was a certain fox who shall remain nameless.

After lunch, he was taken to the training ground. They made him run through obstacle course over and over, changing the layout and adding more and more ‘enemies’ for him to take out. Well, not his fault if his training partner died while going up against him. They have long gave up telling him not to kill one of their own. 7610 avoided the lava jutsu being shot at him and shot out a bone at the Shinobi who tried to slow cook him. The Shinobi who shot the lava jutsu it barely have enough time to avoid being skewered. The ground the bone stabbed into became brittle and they moved away from 7610’s direct line of sight.

Tomogoroshi Haikotsu.

A gift from the fox after a training with multiple opponents almost took 7610 out.

With how intertwined they were, 7610’s death would also be the fox’s end. So in a sadistic turn of twist, the fox granted him a never before seen Kekkei Genkai. With the blitzing speed that 7610 was known for and the unique sure kill Kekkei Genkai, the boy was a murder machine when allowed to let loose.

The boy sat on the side of the wall, blue eyes glassy with boredom as he waited for opponents to show themselves. But the masked Shinobi knew better than to appear in his line of sight. 7610 hummed before grinning, a feral expression twisting his cherubic features as he side, “Hide and seek? Nice~,”

He disappeared from his perch.

The masked people waited…and waited…and waited…

…shit.

“Where did he go?”

“I don’t know,”

Growing restless, they started moving. They moved through the maze of obstacle course only to find nothing. Just ashes.

Ashes?

They soon realized that 7610 had disappeared. Trying to make contact with the people outside the maze, they heard nothing but static. Dread, an ‘emotion’ they thought had long been purged out of them, began to drown them as they felt the primal instinct of a prey being hunted.

The speakers crackled and a childish giggle echoed before 7610’s voice can be heard.

Singing.

Slow. Measured. Mocking.

Ding-dong

I know you can hear me

Open up the door

I only want to play a little

The masked Shinobi of the ROOT’s training center started moving. 7610 have always been a flight risk. His lack of respect and obedience have always been of concern. And the fact that he didn’t mind killing or mauling anyone that tried to put a seal on him, his constitution stubborn enough and robust enough against all and any attempt to drug him or put him in a Genjutsu made it impossible to ‘collar’ him.

Ashes.

Ashes.

Ashes everywhere.

Ding-dong

You can't keep me waiting

It's already too late

For you to try and run away

Giggles.

Childish laughter mocking at these ‘elites’.

The bloodlust filling the spaces of the underground maze like poisonous miasma adding to the tension.

They kept moving. Kept searching. He had carried the microphone with him as he sang and killed to his heart’s content. A monster lurking in the shadow of the facility.

I see you through the window

Our eyes are locked together

I can sense your horror

Though I'd like to see it closer

Ashes.

Ashes.

They all fell down.

His giggles told them that they were nothing but toys. Dolls to be broken. Puppets to be played with. They have always known of his monstrous nature. Had prepared for him to go against them. But somehow, he managed to play them despite being younger and less experienced than them.

Then again, while they were preparing for him, he had spent his years studying them and the maze.

Ding-dong

Here I come to find you

Hurry up and run

Let's play a little game and have fun

Ashes.

They found him in a room. They gathered there, cornering him. Battle ready to take down the monster that they have been raising since his birth. He didn’t flinch, didn’t turn pale, and behaved nothing like a cornered criminal. If anything, he was watching them. Quiet and smiling as he lifted the microphone to his lips;

Ding-dong

Where is it you've gone to?

Do you think you've won?

Our game of hide and seek has just begun

Ashes.

Ashes.

They all fell down.

I hear your footsteps

Thumping loudly through the hallways

I can hear your sharp breaths

You're not very good at hiding

Shimura Danzo cursed as he tried to gather everything that was important to him. His ROOT agents circling him, barricading him between escape and the monster that have decided to go on a hunt. He had been preparing for this as much as he have been preparing to take the boy under his direct wing. He was, after all, a very risky…investment.

Ashes.

He turned to see as one by one, his agents turned to ashes.

That Kekkei Genkai. Simple yet effective. He thought it was a mutated Shikotsumyaku. The boy’s father’s family origin had been traced all the way to Nami prior to the Hidden Village’s system. The boy’s mother also came from a clan too close to Mizu. The possibility that his Kekkei Genkai was a recessive gene and a mutated version was extremely high. He had wanted to exploit that Kekkei Genkai.

Then he realized that the fox must have played a part.

Having received the report from a…certain individual with the only other child with the Shikotsumyaku, the one that 7610 was a wholly different kind. Similar only in the way that a Byakugan and a Sharingan were similar.

He moved to his escape passage.

The boy was a monster he had raised carefully but apparently not carefully enough, if this mutiny was anything. Where did he went wrong?

Ding-dong

Looks like I have won

Now you're it

Ding-dong

Pay the consequence

Danzo leapt away from the bone that almost stabbed him. He frowned and shot a barrage of earth towards the beast in child’s flesh. A bone stabbed him.

Izanagi.

“I see. Interesting,”

Danzo moved again, trying to get away. He threw more jutsu at the best. Bones turned most solid attack to ashes. Wind blades attempted to cut. The boy was too good at evading. For the first time in his life, Danzo cursed his training. The boy was good…too good.

Dangerous.

Another bone stabbed him.

Izanagi.

7610 tilted his head. Pausing in his pursue. Danzo felt a chill rush down his spine. That was the look the boy had on when he was studying his opponent. It seemed that he will have to escape without relying on Izanagi. He had already wasted what eyes he had taken from the cursed clan. If only his genocide plan had succeeded.

That damn Yondaime.

He screamed as something latched onto his ‘crippled’ arm. He looked down and saw chains, much like the one that the boy’s mother used but made out of bone, tearing through his seals on his arm. They slowly disintegrate and Danzo quickly tried to break away but somehow, he couldn’t.

His eyes widened.

The boy…had managed to mix the chakra sealing ability of Kongo Fusa with his Kekkei Genkai.

Sweat broke out all over him.

Trapped. He was trapped. Danzo sneered, “This is why I delayed help from arriving to Uzushio,”

They were too powerful and too unpredictable. It had taken years but he finally managed to get their weakness out to the other nations, his spies increasing their paranoia. What if the Uzumaki decided to be more than just a clan and become another Hidden Village?

7610 tilted his head before shrugging, a bone protruding from his palm, “I see. Well, your scrolls of information…” Fire burned behind behind and he looked over his shoulder before sighing, “Oh well. Not my problem,” He turned back to Danzo, sealed and trapped, a bone pointed at his head, “Any last word?”

Danzo cursed before activating a seal.

He will not die without taking this dangerous element out!

Branches grew out of his arm, trying to stab at 7610. But the blade made out of his strange bone cut the branches and turning them to ashes. But that was just distraction. The boy felt it, a magnetic pull. He shot out a few bones past the pale branches of a sickly looking bonsai.

“You should get away. That seal is a black hole,”

There was an explosion and the ground caved in. A pale hand burst out and clawed the owner up and out. 7610 dragged himself out, his skin pale and his hair gold. It fell over his shoulders and curtained his expression as more of the forest around him started to collapse, smokes rising from underneath. He stood up on unsteady feet and dragged himself away from the hole that he came out of.

He looked behind and saw a memorial stone. Old and weathered.

Senju Tobirama.

“What a joke,”

7610 moved away from the tomb that hid a network of illegal operation. He didn’t know where he was or where he will go. Only that…the sky was bright and his eyes were weak, each ray of sun stabbing him like daggers. Tearing at his black training gi, he wrapped the strip of fabric around his eyes.

He used his other senses to track down a source of water. Upon finding it, he threw his heated and still steaming body into the water. He surfaced and lay there, letting the rive flow drift him like a plank of dead wood.

“What now?”

7610 didn’t answer, only floating along like a corpse until the sun was down and he stopped feeling so hot. Taking off his blindfold, he stared at the moon. What now indeed. He had killed his way out of ROOT organization, taking it down and leaving it to burn to ashes from within. But that was only because the fox told him that Danzo took him from his parents. Personally he didn’t really care. But since he was already doing this, might as well go all the way.

“Konoha,”

Chapter Text

7610 knew nothing about geography. He knew nothing about direction either. And the fox was of little help. When he was free, there was no reason why he needed to learn about navigation. He was a giant. All he had needed to do was turn to a direction and walk until he found whatever it was that he was looking for. So now 7610 wandered. He killed forest animals to eat. It was messy. He didn’t know how to cook and neither did the fox. So he ate them raw. Fortunately, the fox monitored his health so he wasn’t infected by anything like parasite.

He was careful to choose what he ate or killed.

The sun was painful to look at but he liked the way it played with the forest shadows on the ground. It was…hypnotic. But he preferred the moon more. It was serene. Not to mention, he didn’t know who, but he thought he heard someone said that the moon was a goddess. A female. Opposite to him.

He had seen a differently shaped masked agent once.

Fox said that she was a girl.

Of course, she was killed by him since she wasn’t answering his questions. A clean divorce of head and body.But her boobs were indeed soft and she indeed didn’t have anything down there. It was smooth with a slit. Sure, he supposed molesting a dead body was weird but what did he care? He was curious and no one was answering him. But at least after the incident he was given a thorough study on genders.

7610 slipped into the forest shadow and people passed him by on wagons. The dumb animals attached snorted and hoofed the ground, skittish. The driver tried to calm them but their eyes were wide, watching the shadows as they urged the animal to go faster.

“You should clean up and get lost with the crowd,”

So he made his way along the road, keeping to the shadows and making sure that he was following the traffic. He noticed a few Shinobi guarding certain caravans and made sure to suppress his chakra and stick to the shadows. Though they would still check the trees every now and then. When they finally reached a large city, he snuck inside and quickly stole some clothes off the line from the poorer areas. Sticking to black, he lay low.

“You look like a homeless street rat,”

That was the point.

No one would look twice at a street rat.

He settled there where he learned to be the capital for Hi. The street rats glared at him at first for invading their territory but after breaking an arm of the leader, they quickly learned to avoid him. He didn’t really care for companionship. He just want to figure out where Konoha was. There was a reason why people call it Hidden Village. Just because customers can come and go to make request didn’t mean that the village was easy to get to. But it wasn’t easy to follow a Shinobi squad either. Their Jounin Instructor was very alert around the Genin squad. While solo Shinobi would hardly appear in public.

And 7610 didn’t want to appear as a hostile.

That would defeat the purpose.

He lingered around town, behaving just like another street rat. But he kept his eyes out, watching. Trying to choose the person that will take him…home.

7610 have always known about Namikaze Minato. He have always known that the Cripple stole him from the Yondaime of Konoha. He just never really thought much about it. He only knew about their connection because he was nosy and wanted to know why Danzo and ROOT were suddenly uprooted from Konoha. He was supposedly to be the one to take out the Yondaime and reclaim Konoha, returning to its root…or something like that. He didn’t care much for the details.

But a weapon need a wielder. A purpose to exist beyond the forging process.

The Yondaime seemed like a great choice.

Not that the fox like him.

“You seriously need to eat something other than trash,”

7610 hummed, wordless. He was advised against eating rats, remembering reports of the diseases that they carry. The same with cats. They were essential to a clean capital. Besides, they seemed to like him. He didn’t mind their warm and soft body sharing his heat late at night. He also didn’t eat any of the dogs. Predators were riddled with diseases and toxins that his body’s robust immunity might not be able to get rid off or suppress. Fox’s blessing or not. So no stray animals for him.

There was no fire to cook them.

But the birds were fine and so were the squirrels.

But it wasn’t enough. Rotten vegetables weren’t enough. He need food. Real food. His stomach rumbled hungrily and he felt the beginning of starvation setting in. Should he steal a noble’s pet dog and eat it after all? He was partial to cats. They were cute and warm.

“Hello?”

He looked up from where he was lying against a tree, stomach hungrily growling. A girl, dressed in noble silk and brocaded kimono, looking at him. In her hand was a paper bag of something that smelled sweet. He knew how sweet smelled like but never tasted any.

He gulped in hunger.

“Hyuuga. A clan from Konoha,”

He looked up, finally taking in her features. Soft. Innocent. Sweet. Her eyes like the moon. Crystal clear as she took him in. Her hair, midnight black, softly framed her face. A purple ribbon held up half of her hair, adding on that innocent maiden look. Had the fox not tell him, he won’t have pegged her for a daughter of a Shinobi clan.

He had seen many girls after leaving the underground facility. But this was the first time he saw one as clean and sweet as this Hyuuga. Every girl he met were either dirty like him, or barely legal prostitutes who would sometimes hand uneaten leftover onigiri, or old women bargaining at the market street. The Hyuuga, raised well like a flower in a glass house, was certainly a level above those common rabbles.

She offered him an innocent smile and handed him the paper bag of sweet something, “Here. You are hungry, right? I can always buy more,”

7610 looked at the paper bag. He took it and looked inside. A box hid the sweet, warm something. He took it out and opened the box, revealing rolls of warm baked goods. Picking up one, he bit into it.

Sweet.

Warm.

Soft.

His eyes stared at the girl who smiled at him. She was just like the sweetness and softness spreading warmly in his mouth. It was so different from the bland food he had eaten at the facility his whole life. Or the bloody raw meat of the forest that he hunted down. He started to actively shove the food into his mouth.

Strange.

How strange.

His whole chest felt warm.

She smiled at him, “Slowly. I don’t want you to choke. I won’t let anyone take it from you either. So take your time, okay?”

He slowed down, listening to her gentle voice. Different. She was so different from what he was used to. Soft. Sweet. Warm. Just like this baked goods he was feeding on. He took another look at her. Her hands were white and clean. Not like his. Dirty and grimy.

“Lady Hinata!”

The girl, Hinata, looked up to see a Shinobi coming for her. She looked worried as she took her in before frowning at 7610. He avoided her gaze, curling his frame to make himself smaller. Afraid. Wary. Harmless. She bought it as she looked at Hinata with a stern expression and scolded, “Lady Hinata! I told you not to wonder! What if someone decided to kidnap you? Again?”

He watched from under his dirty blond bangs as Hinata blushed, her pale skin flushed a blossom pink, as she fidgeted, “I’m sorry Kurenai-sensei. I just…he look so hungry so I…”

Kurenai sighed, “You can’t feed every hungry person you saw on the street. Now lets get you another batch of cinnamon rolls and get back to the house,”

Hinata looked at him and smiled, “Goodbye,”

He watched as she waved one pale hand at him, her palms soft and pristine from scars. He raised his own dirty hand to wave back. Kurenai guarded her as she took her away from his line of sight. He slowed his chewing as he stared at the corner where she disappeared. Somehow, it felt like his world grew dim and dull without her presence. It was… different.

And he liked the difference.

“The Hyuuga is complicated clan. They are as lofty as a noble and even among other Shinobi Clan, they are the one clan most closely tangled with the nobility. I would suggest extreme caution if you want to get close to them,”

Shinobi can be ridiculously complicated. Perhaps that was why so many Jounin that he caught glimpse of have such simple personality. But he understood that those were just surface masks. Their grey area morality can make interacting complex.

Still…

For the next few days, he tracked down the Hyuuga girl, Hinata. He repeated her name over and over. She could be key to get into Konoha and meet with his father. He knew that his mom died from having the fox extracted from her. A fine work by Danzo for purposefully leaving holes in Konoha’s barrier. He didn’t know what exactly happened that night and he didn’t know if the perpetrator that extracted the fox from his mother had been dealt with or otherwise. All he knew was that if he wanted to live under the sun, he will need to present himself to Minato as an asset and non-hostile.

Perhaps he should get into the good graces of a Hyuuga child?

For the next few days, he watched her from hidden corners. That Kunoichi, Kurenai, acted as her bodyguard. The fox mentioned something about the sight being rare. Normally, clan members would protect each other. It was cheaper and more cost effective that way. But he have yet to see another Hyuuga beside her.

One day, he sat under a tree, watching children his age play in the playground before him. He knew better than to join in. Street rats only play when the sun go down, if they weren’t hungry or starving. Even his muscle mass had gone down after the weeks spent at the capital. Ironically, he ate better in the forest that the city. Then, as he wondered about those cinnamon rolls, he saw her.

Hinata.

She carefully made her way to the playground. She looked at all the children and a look of hesitation flickered over her normally serene face. No matter how mature she was made to act, she was still just a child after all. Her hands fluttered under her luxurious sleeves. She most certainly can’t play like the others. Not with her beautiful kimono on. They look expensive and would probably cost an organ or two.

“Something is wrong with her,”

Why wasn’t she with her clan?

Why was she alone?

7610 frowned as he saw rambunctious boys a year or two older than her sneering at her direction. They stood up and crowded around her. He couldn’t here from this distance, not with suppressing his chakra as much as he did to hide from the Shinobi swarming the capital in who knows where. But from her paling face and widening eyes, trembling with unshed tears, he knew that they were making fun of her. Standing up, he made his way to them and heard them jeering at her;-

“Creepy eyed freak!”

“Monster!”

“Aw~! Are you crying?”

“You look disgusting!”

“Go dig your eyes out, you ghost eyed monster!”

Tears fell down her cheeks like pearls as she tried to defend herself, “I-I-I’m not a m-m-monster!”

For the first time since he could remember, 7610 felt a burning sensation filling his head. He didn’t know what it was but he wanted to punish those boys. So he picked a rock and threw it at their back. Barely remembering to regulate his strength. The boy screamed in pain as he was struck. He turned to glare at 7610 and the nameless boy stuck out his tongue, “Come and get, you ugly pig monster!”

The boy, possibly the leader, pointed at him, “You motherless freak! Get over here!”

7610 taunted, “I might be motherless but at least my mum loves me! I bet you are so ugly that yours couldn’t stand looking at you! Or maybe she’s blind since she mistook a swine’s piglet for her own!”

The red faced bipedal piglet screeched as he reached for 7610, hands clawing. His friends tried to help him. But 7610 just laughed and jeered at them, causing every hit to miss him and hit each other instead. He danced around them, continuing to add fuel to the fire.

“Hah! He hated you! I bet you that he wanted to do that for ages!”

“What did you do to him? Ate his pet?”

“Oof! That’s not good! Your mom’s gonna kill you for breaking his nose,”

In the end, he stood over their tired and bruised form, victorious. He used one of the street gang’s sign as he crowed, “Street rat for the win~!”

As the thoroughly beaten and shamed boys ran crying for their mothers, 7610 turned to Hinata who was staring at him. She was not smiling and neither did she look horrified. If anything, there was curiosity in her eyes.

“You’re an idiot. Should have let them trash you,”

7610 mentally cursed himself for getting over excited. He stared at her before awkwardly asking, “Are you alright? They didn’t…didn’t hurt you, do they?”

Hinata stared at him before smiling, “No they didn’t,” She then stepped closer to him and he stepped back. Her eyes wide as they reflected his messy appearance, “Who are you?”

7610 shrugged, “No idea,”

A nameless orphan. That was what he was. The truth. He knew nothing about his name. The Hokage never did register his name. He didn’t have the time to, what with his injuries and almost a year long coma. 7610 was taken away during that time. That was all he knew. How he was taken and who was the traitor who took him, it didn’t matter. Everyone have already turned to ashes.

Hinata studied him before smiling mysteriously, “You are good at pretending,”

7610 froze.

“You’re an idiot. I told you that the Hyuuga is tricky,”

He forced a smile on his lips, “And what do you think I am pretending as?”

Hinata tilted her head, humming. He watched her eyes as she studied him. Oddly enough, he felt exposed. Naked. Her eyes peeled his layers little by little and it sent shivers down his spine in a way nothing ever did. She then looked him right in the eyes and said, “You’re like a seed,”

His mind went blank.

“What?”

She said, “A small seed. Hidden under the earth. Covered in dirt and soil. But one day you will bloom. But you won’t be able to bloom if you keep hiding and shy away from the sun and rain,” Hinata blushed, covering her mouth in that delicate noble girl manner, “I’m sorry. That is the impression I get from you. You are hiding but at the same time, you don’t like hiding. Like a little seed, bidding your time to bloom,”

How accurate can she be?

“Lady Hinata!”

Hinata looked behind to see Kurenai, once again scowling, as she took the girl’s hand, “What did I say about sneaking away from me? If you just ask, I would have taken you to the playground,” She then frowned at the sight of 7610, “You again,”

He allowed his body to flinch as he stepped back, as if frightened by her. He then turned away and ran off. Every bit the image of a scared child, spooked by the scary Shinobi lady. Behind him, he heard Hinata giggle.But as he ran away, he can’t help but think about what Hinata said to him.

A seed.

What part of him reminded her of a seed?

“A small seed. Hidden under the earth. Covered in dirt and soil,”

“Some said that the Sharingan can predict the future. While others said that the Byakugan sees all. That girl is dangerous…and coveted. There is something about her that separate her from her clan. You should keep an eye out for her. For those whose eyes sees past the lies of this world, she is not someone you want as an enemy,”

And the fox was right. As always. He noticed it right away while hanging in the ceiling of the roof of the house that she was hosted at. The way the nobles look at her. They want her. Not in the way a man want a woman but in the way greed look at something profitable. He immediately went on alert.

Her clan wasn’t with her.

But the most surprising thing was when she called the Yondaime Hokage; Father.

“Was she adopted? Have the Hyuuga gone extinct?”

7610 wasn’t jealous. If anything, he was curious. He noticed that Minato will take Hinata with him when meeting other nobles. They talked about matters of politic and commerce. Probably trying to get more money poured to Konoha. And he also noticed the way Hinata watched the Yondaime’s opponent. Her eyes were clear but cold with calculation.

She was looking out for schemers and opportunistic fools.

Ordinary Hyuuga can do the same so why was she chosen by the Yondaime?

He soon learned from listening to them.

Hinata can’t use chakra.

But her eyes were the clearest Byakugan. Able to read people’s intention before it can be spoken aloud. While the Yondaime meet them up front and honestly, Hinata studied the darkness behind their smiles. And she will warn the Hokage against agreeing to things that would stab him in the dark. Truly, not someone that a politician and merchant want against them but definitely with them. Dangerous and coveted.

7610 shivered, a feral smile curling on his lips. It explained why she can read past his carefully curated mask. A feat that no one before her was able to do. Even Danzo could only suspect but still only confirmed it with his death. Yet all Hinata did was look at him and he was seen.

But why a seed?

“Still can’t get over that, huh?”

He continued to watch her in the shadows. Sometimes, he let his presence be felt and she would turn to his direction. Her eyes curious and wary. She could sense him but she didn’t know it was him. But soon, it became a game between him and her. She would turn to him and he will blip out of her senses and she will look around in confusion.

It was fun.

And no one died.

Until an idiot send someone to kidnap her while the Yondaime was busy…

Chapter Text

How many times did this make it?

Hinata didn’t know. But she clutched onto the small necklace around her neck tightly. Her chakra nerves might be messed up from birth, causing her unable to use the Juuken and rendering her a useless Hyuuga. But what chakra she couldn’t push out of her body, she channeled them to her eyes with such precision that her chakra veins did not even bulge, making her use of her clan’s Dojutsu more subtle than anyone.

But this meant that she was a sitting duck, more often than not.

Even the Hokage’s adoption of her would not protect her from the more ambitious people. They would chance angering him for the sake of owning her and her special eyes. As he had sealed her Byakugan that the moment she die or the moment it was taken out of her head, the eyes will be ruined and rot within moments. It was a far better seal than the one her clan had planned to put on her.

Hinata breathed, calming herself down. It was her fault. She wanted to find that strange boy that reminded her of a seedling. He was dirty but something about him drew her in. Perhaps it was the way he danced while others tried to hit him, causing complete chaos while receiving no damage on himself. Something about him felt like a Shinobi. Like those masked ANBU around the Hokage.

He smiled but his smile never reached his eyes.

He kept his face shadowed but she can feel it; the sharp gaze of a predator.

It reminded her a lot of the Yondaime when he was at work. She heard that he used to be much gentler and kinder. But after losing his students and his wife along with his only child, that kindness was replaced by live steel. In fact, Kakashi told her that he was surprised that the Yondaime decided to take her in. Sure, it was in part to make use of her Byakugan. But he could just hire her instead of taking her in.

Minato treated her like his own daughter.

Perhaps because her helpless situation in her clan reminded him of his late wife when she first came to Konoha.

Her kidnapper suddenly screamed as he fell down, causing her to be thrown to the ground. The bag opened and she saw…him. The boy from the street. He was holding something pale in his hand, like an ivory stake. The man was groaning as he writhed on the ground. The boy stared at the man, his eyes, for once she saw the cold blues reflecting lights like a cat’s, focused on the man like he was a dirty vermin.

The man whimpered, “What did you do? My legs…”

The boy smiled, hollow and haunting, “I kindly cut it off,”

The man, hired Shinobi, glared at him, “Who the hell send you?”

The boy tilted his head, “Me?” He pretended to think, “No one, really. I just…I guess I don’t want her to go with you? I mean…she fed good food when I was starving,”

A silly reason.

The man pulled out a tag but before he could do anything, the boy threw the ivory stake in his hand straight into her kidnapper’s head. To her horror, he turned to ashes.

The boy winced upon catching sight of the slightly open bag, “Shit. Didn’t mean for you to see that,”

Hinata looked at him. He knelt down and fully opened her bag, staring at the seal stamped over her mouth. He pursed his lip and peeled it off. He then used one dirty hand to rub at the red area around her mouth from the seal. He used his thumb to rub her lips before looking at her, “Why are you so special?”

Hinata gave him a self deprecating smile, “Because I’m a harmless Hyuuga,”

He snorted, “If you are harmless, you won’t be special,”

She looked at him and saw nothing but brutal honesty. She corrected, “I can’t hurt them. My chakra points and nerves are…twisted and wrong since birth. A defect. I can’t use the technique that my clan can to defend themselves. That’s why I’m a harmless Hyuuga,”

He hummed.

She smiled, “But you know that. So why did you ask?”

He froze, his eyes wide and pupils big. He looked so much like a cat caught trying to steal fish out of a plate that she ended up giggling at his expression. The nameless boy huffed, his cheeks red from the call out, “So you did know that I was watching,”

Hinata smiled, “At first I wasn’t sure. You didn’t feel hostile and I am familiar with the ANBU guarding Father. But tonight you just confirmed that,” She then asked, “Why did you follow me?”

He stared at her before rubbing the back of his head, his expression oddly familiar, as he said, “I have my reasons,” He then stared at her, “This isn’t the first time someone died in front of you?”

Hinata shrugged, standing up and patting down her sleep yukata, “Being the adopted daughter of the Hokage meant that kidnapping attempt is as familiar to me as the rising sun. Though he never meant to, Father killed people in front of me to save me. You get desensitized sooner or later by the frequency,”

He looked…conflicted about that. He then snorted, “Why do I expect? You might be as sheltered as a lily in a glass house. At least at first glance. But you already tasted blood, don’t you?”

Hinata frowned, “It isn’t like I like it,” She pulled out her necklace, the jewel attached to it etched with something, her expression grim, “I do learn to defend myself in the only way I know. Without being able to use the Juuken or use Ninjutsu, all I can do is train in strength augmentation and Fuuinjutsu. I also pick up on Bukijutsu. So whether I want to or not, I need to be able to hurt people who are out to hurt me or Father,” She pursed her lips, “I don’t like killing or hurting people but in the end, I am a Kunoichi and the daughter of the Yondaime Hokage,”

He stared at her before looking at the jewel on the necklace. Hinata frowned, the chakra in her eyes brightening as she focused. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she forced chakra to push through the twisted chakra points of her hands. Just a spark. She only need a spark.

“Hinata,”

The nameless boy shifted to defend her. His posture was trained. He knew what he was doing as he pointed another stake made of ivory right at the wet haired Yondaime that appeared. Minato blinked at the sight of the strange weapon before looking at the boy wielding it. Blue eyes hard and wary.

Hinata shifted from behind him, breathing hard, “Father,”

Minato looked around before frowning at the ashes wearing clothes on the ground, “This is…”

She explained, “This is…well, he never told me his name. He…he saved me…” She pointed at the ashes being blown slowly off the grown, “That was the kidnapper,”

Minato looked at the boy who stared at the ground. Hinata swayed and he immediately catch her before she could stumble and faint. She looked at him and smiled, “I’m okay,”

The boy frowned, “Uh-huh. Try again. You look like you are going to black out,”

Minato moved, “Give her to me,”

The boy looked at him, his long hair obscuring his face and the dirt clinging to his skin thick enough that his real face was masked. But his eyes gave Minato pause. But neither said anything as Hinata loose strength in her body. The boy reluctantly handed her over to the Hokage and Minato carried her. But before he can disappear down the alley, Minato called him.

The boy looked at the man.

Minato nodded, “Come. It is only right that I treat you well for helping Hinata. Beside, I have never seen her so eager to introduce me to someone,”

The boy stared at him, his face still too obscure.

“What will you do?”

The boy looked at the man’s back, Hinata’s hair a midnight banner falling over his arm. Her ribbon fell off. Something that she must have worn to bed to protect her beautiful hair. He bent down and picked the soft silk ribbon up before tying it around his wrist. He then followed the man back to the mansion.

Minato handed Hinata to a worried Kurenai. The night was her off night and Hinata was supposed to be safe in bed. Neither expected for the kidnapper to infiltrate the mansion as a worker months ahead. And he had just washed his hair when he felt the pull from the seal he placed on Hinata’s necklace. He sighed, finally finding a towel to fully towel his hair. He barely had enough mind to put on his bathrobe before teleporting.

He then smelled the smell of street and looked at the boy that saved Hinata. He had never seen such a Kekkei Genkai before. It reminded him of the Kaguya Clan and the boy that Jiraiya saved from Orochimaru. He gestured, “You should wash up. Here, I’m sure they have another guest kit…yeah, here,” He handed the kit to the silent boy and added, “I’ll ask the staff to send you a sleeping yukata. Try not to drown in there, okay?”

He almost patted the boy’s head but stopped himself. He turned away and returned to his room to dress up for bed. The plan to interrogate Hinata’s kidnapper was flushed down the drain in the form of ashes so there was nothing to do. Blowing his hair dry, he picked up his pillow and moved to Hinata’s bedroom. He didn’t like that she needed to push her chakra through her twisted chakra points. It always ended up with her having a high fever. He hoped that the Daimyo will stop being wishy-washy and go straight to the point.

And no, he’s not accepting any proposal from the man’s smitten daughters.

No matter how often they ask him.

He put his pillow down on the futon that was laid down beside Hinata’s. The poor girl was already suffering by the time he entered her bedroom. He took the basin of ice water and wrung the towel inside until just enough water was left to be placed on Hinata’s burning temple. He sighed as he looked at her, feeling guilty.

Hinata can tell him that it wasn’t his fault but each time she was taken, he felt worthless and powerless. Fastest man on the continent but he couldn’t even keep his family safe.

One would wonder why he brought Hinata along if he didn’t want people to kidnap her. Well, the choice was Hinata’s actually. When he adopted her from Hiashi after he saw her squatting behind the kitchen to steal scraps of food, since her clan kept ‘forgetting’ that a child of 3 need to eat, he never wanted her involved with his work. He was content to just raise her and let her live a peaceful civilian life. But Hinata was a devoted soul and she wanted to be useful to him. Her past raised a child that was scared of being forgotten for being useless.

She trained her eyes to the point that people call her The Hokage’s Treasure for her discernment and her visual prowess. Her clan tried to reclaim her after learning about her unique ability using nothing but just her eyes but she refused them, begging him to not throw her away. And so, to prevent any foul play, Minato took her with him for most meetings. Allowing her to train herself against his political opponent.

Ay even proposed to take her in as someone in Kumo’s fiancee.

Minato ‘kindly’ refused…with threats should the matter be pressured.

So Ay, in respect towards Minato, agreed to back off. So when someone from Kumo tried to kidnap her, needless to say, Minato killed the man personally and Ay said nothing about it. But the message in Kumo was loud and clear; do not touch his adopted daughter.

Of course, greedy nobles and foolish Nuke-nin would always exist.

He thought that Hinata needed someone that won’t feel too out of place as her personal guard. But it was hard to find prodigies like Kakashi and Itachi. Not to mention, neither would be a good choice to help Hinata feel like a normal child. It was another regret of his. That with Hinata being so busy beside him, she cannot be a normal child. She was home schooled by him using a Shadow Clone since she wasn’t able to go to the Academy. Because the Academy only taught children with the aptitude to be a Shinobi. Not to mention, her cousins would be there and she had let slipped that they bullied her. She could join the civilian classes where they will learn how to read, write, and count before joining the work force as apprentices. But civilian classes would not cover the other things that Shinobi classes do, something that she needed due to being his daughter. Not to mention, civilian children saw her eyes as creepy.

“Why did she fall sick?”

Minato threw the kunai at the door and the boy grabbed it before it could nail him between the eyes. Minato stared at him, the sudden rush of adrenaline from being caught unaware slowing down. He then frowned as he glared at the boy, “You are really not a normal child? Who sent you?”

The boy knelt down and ignored him as he shuffled forward towards Hinata. Minato sat still, but tense and ready to snap the boy’s neck should he prove to be a danger to his daughter. What had started as sympathy and an act of charity had long blossomed into a true father and daughter bond. The boy tilted his head, his messy golden hair that looked eerily like his cascaded all over his features.

He asked Minato again, “Why is she sick?”

Minato sighed, wringing the towel once again, cooling it in ice bath before putting it on her tiny head, “Hinata’s chakra path is all twisted and blocked. I would have tried fixing it but she was born that way. The Hyuuga would have done something about it since they are masters when it comes to the human body and chakra. But they didn’t. While others can exert chakra externally, no matter how miniscule, it hurt her physically doing it. Even using a miniscule amount outside her body hurt her to this extend. I tried to make it as easy on her as possible but even just a spark forced through those twisted and blocked points was enough to make her body go into shock,” He shook his head, “I can’t just lock her away. I refuse to repeat what her clan did to her. Hinata might not be able to fly like other birds but that doesn’t mean I should cage her,”

The boy stared at her before asking, “Why didn’t you keep a guard on her?”

Minato smiled bitterly, “She’s a child. Being surrounded by adults all the time can get overwhelming. So she preferred to have her night free of adults. Of course, I tried to keep the ANBU on her but she was sensitive to their presence. She won’t be able to rest if they stand guard near her,” He then frowned, “Whoever ordered the kidnapping knew that this house will be hosting us. The person you killed have been working here for months in advance,” He looked at the boy, “Who are you?”

The boy hummed, “Danzo numbered me 7610,”

A kunai pressed against the boy’s throat as Minato growled, “Danzo sent you? Or is this a ploy? I know how he operate. His agents won’t even be able to speak because of the damned seal,”

The boy smiled, the curl of his lips dark and predatory but also smug like a cat who ate the canary, “Oh. I killed that cripple. Did you know? He messed around with Senju Hashirama’s corpse and stole some Sharingan. Took me 4 times killing him to get him to stay dead,”

Minato frowned, “Forgive me if I don’t believe you,”

The boy dug into his mouth and took out a smelly roll of plastic. He giggled, “Sorry about the smell. I’m not exactly able to be hygienic for the past few months since arriving to the capital,” He unrolled the plastic and took out a small piece of paper. He unfolded the paper and revealed a small storage seal. A small burst of chakra and a folded map appeared. He handed Minato the map, “Here. That man went on and on about respecting your elder but he sure like desecrating the dead’s resting place,”

Creating a clone, Minato had it open the map and it revealed a surprising information. The boy pointed at the large red ‘X’ that looked and smelled like dried blood, “That’s where I was. I came out of Senju Tobirama’s grave. See what I said about disrespecting the dead? He’s such a hypocrite. And everywhere else that I marked? Well, the red ‘X’s are all dead camps. No survivors. The remaining circle should still have some survivors. I don’t know if any of the recruits are still there though. They could have escaped once the seal was gone or they might still be there, unaware that the big bag guard dog is dead,”

Minato stared at the map. A flare of his chakra and a masked ANBU appeared beside him. He gave the ANBU an order, “Send a message to your Commander. Tell him to visit all marked locations. Be on high alert. Occupy their borders and report the situation. Then wait for my orders before proceeding,”

The masked Shinobi nodded, silent, and disappeared.

Minato hummed before looking at the boy, watching him as he burned the smelly items with little care and then wiped his hand on his borrowed sleeping yukata. Minato asked, “Why did you help her?”

The boy sat silent for a while. After a moment, he said, “She fed me cinnamon roll. I never had cinnamon roll. It’s sweet and soft and warm. Like her,” He smiled, “I like her,”

Minato frowned, “That’s it?”

The boy looked at him, “Oh! And I was hoping to get close to her so that I can meet you,”

Minato’s blue eyes turned cold, “Is that so?”

The boy grinned, “Aw~! Don’t be mad~! Sure I was going to use our blossoming friendship to meet you but I’m not going to hurt her. I told you, I like her. She is soft and sweet and warm. Just like the cinnamon roll she fed me. Also, did you honestly think she would have let me get close to her if she thinks I’m up to no good? Not to mention, don’t you want your pet fox back?”

Minato’s eyes widened, his hold on his kunai almost slacken, “What?”

The boy pushed back his hair, revealing his face and those unmistakable birthmarks, “You know? A certain fox that you locked up inside a certain boy?”

Minato stared at the face. He had someone draw that face, small and squishy and unforgettable, after he realized what Danzo had done. The man was quick to disappear. Not even Hiruzen could find him. The elders were all locked and contained in their homes with security around the clock. Danzo never made contact with any of them. The man was very good at erasing his tracks. Minato might be hailed as a genius but Danzo have decades of experience on him. The man knew tricks that Minato never even heard of.

Minato disrupted his chakra but the face remained. Still soft from childish youth. Cherubic even. But something was wrong. He can tell from the hollow light of the boy’s blue eyes, slit like a predator and just as cheeky. But he can tell this was no lookalike. The shade of his eyes was Minato’s. The way his lips curls was Kushina’s. The shape of his eyes were Kushina’s. The nose was Minato’s. But it wasn’t enough to convince him.

Minato pointed his kunai at the boy’s belly, “Show me,”

The boy pushed off the collar of the yukata off his shoulders, revealing pale chest with silvery scars crisscrossing his torso. He then circulated his chakra, revealing the intricate design that was Minato’s work of art. Minato stared at the seal. The damned seal that haunted his nights. The damned seal that he tried to forget ever creating.

He touched the seal with one trembling hand and he immediately knew that this was real. He can sense the sliver of chakra that he had added to the seal as a fail safe. He sense a small flicker of Kushina, dormant inside him.

This was no impostor.

This was no trick.

Even if the boy was an assassin sent by Danzo to kill him, to finish the job, all fight have fled Minato’s body. He dropped the kunai, his hands unwilling to hurt his long lost child. If he die, then it was karmic retribution. Minato forget his training, his self preservation, and everything else.

All that remained was his son.

He gathered the boy close and held him in too tight hug. His tears fell on the boy’s too thin shoulder, tracing hot line as it dripped down his too pale skin.

The boy cheekily asked, “Aren’t you afraid that I would kill you?”

Minato sobbed, “If I die by your hand then I deserved it,”

The boy sat still, letting Minato cry silently against his neck. The man’s sob was quiet and his body quaked with barely controlled emotion. The boy sat there stiffly.

It hurt.

Something was wrong with his son and Minato didn’t know where to begin.

He pulled back and looked at the boy’s eyes. Hinata wasn’t afraid of him or wary. Whatever was wrong with the boy, it require a trigger and so far nothing Minato had done had tripped on said trigger. He didn’t know what Danzo did but he will get to the bottom of it.

Slowly but surely.

Minato asked, “How did you escape?”

The boy shrugged, “Turned them all to ashes,”

Right. The strange Kekkei Genkai.

Minato smiled, “Welcome home…Naruto,”

Chapter Text

Naruto.

He watched over Hinata while Minato wrap up the matter with the Daimyo and the kidnapping attempt. Hinata was still pale but she was slowly but surely getting better as she rest in the room and watching the birds playing in the small shallow man made pond. He tilted his head, staring at her.

Minato was eager to take him in and become a family again.

But he wasn’t so sure about Hinata.

The girl turned to him, “What is it? You have been staring at me for a while?”

He hummed, “He said that my name is Naruto,”

Hinata nodded, “Father did tell me about you,” She smiled, “I’m glad that you are reunited,”

Naruto stared at her, “Aren’t you upset? From I studied while people watching, siblings don’t normally like each other. They also tend to sabotage the other,”

Hinata looked at her hands before admitting, “I’m scared…that he will give me up for you,” She then smiled but her smile look lonely, “But by his side is your rightful place. I must not feel upset. It would be shameless of me to expect for him to keep taking care of a burden like me,”

“I can always just leave,”

She turned to him, her eyes wide at his unexpected offer.

“Who says that he won’t just blame her if you leave? Don’t be a fool,”

But Naruto didn’t retract his offer. Instead, he watched her. But instead of excitement or feeling happy, her eyes grew wet and trembling, “Please don’t leave,”

He asked, “Why not? I don’t really have an attachment to him,”

Hinata pursed her lips before pinching his cheek, taking him by surprise, “Look at you. You’re skin and bone. Even if Father no longer wish for me to stay as his daughter, I still have a clan that will take me in. They won’t be warm and I will just be exploited but at least I have a place to go back to. Where will you go? Who will feed you? Where will you sleep? Father will be worried and so will I. I don’t want to steal your place and I don’t want you to go away. This is your home and you should stay where you are wanted. Father want you and so you should stay, okay?”

Naruto blinked at her easy touch on him. It didn’t hurt. Minato’s hold wasn’t suffocating and he didn’t try to break every bone in Naruto’s body. Now Hinata’s touch wasn’t clawing his face tissues off. Their touches were soft and gentle. He couldn’t understand. Sure, the fox brought up a possible scenario where leaving won’t make Hinata’s life happier. One can’t undo the ripple done to the water after throwing in the rock. Even if the ripple settled, the rock will still be there under the water. But the fact that Hinata want him to stay, or at least not go away, caused the odd tension that he didn’t notice to fade.

In the end, he just fell silent and let her play with his cheek.

There wasn’t much there due to the starvation he had suffered while staking out in the capital. But still, she poked and prodded him. When the staff brought out snacks, he snatched a few without letting her eat. Hinata looked at him before smiling, “They wouldn’t dare,”

Naruto snorted, “You never know. Better safe than sorry,”

Hinata sighed, “I wish my body isn’t weird,”

He looked at her, “Your body is fine,”

Hinata was finally allowed to eat some of the snack, “You know what is wrong with me,”

He shrugged, “There is nothing wrong with you,”

Honestly, she was fine. There was nothing wrong about being unable to use chakra externally. He had grown up seeing fucked up stuff around him. Hinata was fine.

“But so far I have been nothing but a burden,”

He frowned and pinched her cheek like she did to him, blinking when he felt their softness. He regulated his strength, trying not to bruise her because she look like she bruise easy. Hinata looked at him with her crystal gaze and he snorted, “You are not a burden. I know what a burden looks like. You aren’t like them at all,”

Burdens in ROOT were rooted out and killed. He was usually the exterminator. They were broken from the cruel training. Too emotionally volatile instead of numb as desired. Unable to be of use or trusted on the field but too trained to be left alone. So they were used to ‘train’ him. Those were burdens. Because they can’t be used optimally at all. Some were too traumatized that they can’t even function. Some had retreated so deep inside their head that they might as well brain dead toddlers. So the greatest ‘mercy’ that can be given was to kill them.

Hinata was none of that and so she was not a burden. Danzo would probably steal her to keep her at his side at all time so no one can scheme against him. Of course, according to his modus operandi, he would mentally and spiritually break her so that she cannot go against his orders or seek help.

Naruto frowned, thinking of a Hinata with dull eyes instead her crystal clear gaze. Her smile replaced by neutral nothingness. Masked and hidden away from the world.

He didn’t like it.

The taste of cinnamon roll on his tongue turned to ashes at the very thought of that happening to her.

Hinata pressed a glass of chilled juice against his cheek, breaking him from his spiraling dark thoughts. He looked at her and she smiled, “You need to eat. You are too thin,”

He noticed something. Food around Hinata have flavors. The meal that was fed to him his whole life never tasted like anything. He was numb to the pleasure of living. But with Hinata, there was flavors and he felt things that he never did. Prior to meeting her, everything was dull, numb, and suppressed. Boring. Painfully and utterly boring. Living was just a repetition of schedules.

Eat, shit, train, kill, wash up, and repeat.

Everything was in shades of black and white with splashes of crimson.

But with Hinata, there were colors. There were sweetness. There were warmth. She didn’t expect anything from him and never ask him for anything. Just stay. And somehow…that alone made him want to do something for her. But what?

That evening, after Minato finally came back from a stupidly long meeting, Naruto sat on his bed while the man washed up. When Minato saw him sitting on his bed, he felt his heart skipped. Naruto was still messy. Clean but messy. Yet just the sight of his son in his space made him feel light.

Minato smiled, “What is it?”

Naruto looked at him, “Will you blame Hinata if I leave?”

Minato frowned, “What? No. Of course not. Why would I? But…” He smiled cautiously, “It would be great if you stay,”

He knew children like Naruto were too independent. They do whatever they want. After all, after being caged for so long, why would they wish to be chained anywhere? But deep inside, he sincerely hope that the boy will stay. Even if the fox was a property of Konoha and he have a duty to keep Naruto in Konoha, Minato didn’t know how to do that without becoming another Danzo.

Naruto asked, “Will you neglect Hinata if I stay?”

Minato stared at him, understanding dawning. Naruto was worried about Hinata and perhaps Hinata herself felt insecure now that Minato’s own blood have returned. He shook his head, “I’m her father. I won’t neglect her. I am not Hiashi,”

He remembered that child when they first met. She was normally locked in a shed when guest came around. Somehow she figured how to escape. He saw her looking through the trash by the kitchen, trying to find something to eat. She was so small and so bony. His heart hurt just remembering. Worse, she was Naruto’s age and he couldn’t imagine eating well if his son lived like her. So, he took her in. He fed her and healed her of the illness that came from neglect. He gave her all the things he couldn’t give to his own child and the things that Hiashi denied her just because she was…crippled.

Thus, he won’t leave her or neglect her just because Naruto came home.

He added, “It will be better if the two of you can get along,”

Naruto stared at him before saying, “Well…I was thinking…”

“A dangerous past time for the likes of you,”

Naruto ignored the fox, “That I could be her bodyguard. You told me yourself. She can get overwhelmed with just adults around her. Well, I am obviously not an adult. I’m trained to be better than ANBU. I’m not really good for much else. So…how about it? I’ll stay to keep her safe,”

Minato stared at the boy. Whenever he talked about Hinata or was anywhere near her, there was this light in his otherwise dull gaze. It was as if her very presence brought him to life. He had a sudden thought that wasn’t very nice about Naruto. But as long as the boy stayed with Konoha and Hinata was kept safe, sacrificing a few morals were just the sort of price Minato won’t mind paying.

Minato smiled, “Well…but first we need to clean you up,”

The next morning, Hinata looked at Naruto in confusion. The long hair covering his face have been cut some time during the night, though the front bangs were still long enough that it cast his eyes under the shadow of his hair. He kept his hair long but more trimmed and shaped. The side locks of his hair curled up in a way that reminded her of a fox’s folded ears. The smile on his lips only add to the illusion of a fox. That and the odd whiskers on his cheeks.

Also…

“Is that my kimono?”

Naruto looked at the purple and orange with white lilies kimono that he stole from her closet. The furisode sleeves swaying on his side. He didn’t even wear it properly, more like a jacket. Underneath was the black sleeveless ANBU issued light armor. She can also see that he wore those long gloves on his arms, the fingerless gloves hooked the pointed tip around his middle finger, leaving his palm open. He wore black hakama with the hem tied and shoved into the open toed Shinobi knee length boots on his feet. The thick black belt around his waist kept his Shinobi items close. Other than her kimono, he could have passed for another ANBU.

He smiled at her, “I like your kimono,”

Hinata tilted her head, “We could always order one for you,”

She wasn’t about judge his taste.

He shrugged, “Nah! I like this one,”

It just so happened that the one he stole was the very same one that she wore when they first met. Hinata noticed that his long hair was loosely tied with the ribbon that she lost from that night. She decided to leave the matter of Naruto stealing her things be and asked, “Are you staying?”

He looked at her, “I’m staying for you,”

Hinata blushed, “Oh…what about Father? Are you staying for him?”

He shrugged, “Maybe,”

Fair enough. He didn’t know Minato and felt nothing much for the man. But he have been watching Hinata and she supposed he was more attached to her than he did with his biological father. She was a little sad for Minato but she supposed that their bond will need to be slowly forged. No point pushing the matter.

She then asked, “Can I call you Aniue?”

Naruto looked at her, “Why?”

She tilted her head, “We will be family, won’t we? Also, Father said that you are older than me since you are born on October while I was born in December. So can I call you Aniue?”

Naruto thought of it as a nickname and shrugged, “Sure,”

She smiled, “Nice to meet you, Aniue!”

He smiled back but said nothing.

Minato finally moved to head back to Konoha. Hinata sat in the carriage with Naruto while Minato walked ahead. She pulled out a deck of cards and started teaching Naruto how to play. After showing him the way, he picked up on it rather quickly. At one point, Hinata turned tearful from the endless defeat. Naruto, who would normally cheered from winning, felt bad and allowed her to win the next few rounds until she was smiling again.

He found that he preferred her smiling.

When she was napping, he sat outside and looked at Minato, “Are we going to take a while to reach Konoha?”

Minato hummed, “By Shinobi speed, we would have been there within a day. But since Hinata can’t run like us, it will take around 3 days to reach home,” He looked at Naruto, “Why are you wearing her kimono?”

Naruto shrugged, “I like her kimono. Also, it won’t look so out of place if people thinks that I’m a girl playmate for her and all,”

Minato knew better though. He remembered being informed by Kurenai that Hinata gave some random beggar her box of cinnamon rolls. She was wearing the very same kimono that Naruto had taken for his own. He also recognized that ribbon the boy wore on his hair. Looking at the boy like this, he understood that Hinata have somehow became his main focus. She had became his anchor to Konoha and to Minato.

And what would Minato do about the boy’s obsession towards his daughter?

Nothing, really.

It benefit them both in the long run so Minato would probably encourage it. Though hearing Hinata calling Naruto ‘Aniue’ was a little weird. Because even though the boy was young, he certainly did not see Hinata as his ‘Imouto’, if the lack of return endearment was any clue to how he really feel about the matter. But they were both still very young so Minato will not say anything about it.

Beside, Hinata had always been rejected by her own blood. Calling Naruto with an endearing title was probably her attempt to be something more than just the interloper in the family. Not that he ever saw her as an intruder but she probably felt that way. As for Naruto, he didn’t care much about anything. Probably from being raised without being allowed to attach himself to anything emotionally. So it must be overwhelming when he felt an attachment towards Hinata.

That night, as they camped, Naruto watched as Hinata helped around dinner. She was insistent despite the ANBU and Minato telling her to rest. Cooking was one of those things that Hinata insisted on learning so that she can make Minato lunch and make sure that he took good care of his health. So Minato didn’t put up much resistance when Hinata picked up a knife and started cutting ingredients.

She also glared at Naruto who was picking at a raw bird leg, “No,”

Naruto pouted, “It isn’t like I’ll get sick. I ate raw all the time in the forest,”

She glared harder, raising her knife as if to hack his naughty hand, “I said no,”

“But-,”

“Aniue,”

Naruto wilted under her scary smile, “Fine…”

Minato hid a laugh at the sight. He can tell, from watching how Naruto interact with the others, that he didn’t think much of the ANBU with Minato. He looked down on Kurenai for the kidnapping incident. He didn’t think much about Minato either. He was aware, from overhearing the staff talking about Naruto back at the mansion, that insults will just roll off his back like water on duck. The boy was also sadistic, if the prank he played on the staff who insulted him for being a street rat was any indication. Burning all their personal items, including the clothes they wore to bed, while they slept was just ruthless. Poor girl had to beg for clothes.

But with Hinata?

He was as good as whipped.

Through the night, he noticed how Naruto hovered around Hinata. He acted like he was unaware of his surrounding but Minato knew from the way he shifted that Naruto was hyper alert of his surrounding. Although it left a bitter taste in his mouth, Minato have to admit that Danzo trained Naruto well. Too well, actually.

The man did died by the boy’s hand.

On the second day, he heard Hinata asking Naruto numerous questions.

What was his favorite color?

He didn’t know.

What was his favorite food?

Cinnamon rolls.

What was his favorite animal?

Cats.

What was his hobby?

No idea.

She asked him many things that other children could easily answer but there were many things about himself that Naruto didn’t know. Minato can guess why he liked cinnamon rolls. It was probably the first clean food with good taste that he had ever eaten. He can also guess why he liked cats. The capital was filled with the animal and he had seen a few sauntering up to Naruto to sleep on his lap. As for his favorite color? He didn’t know because he never needed to know. He was also never given time to indulge in hobbies.

But then he asked Naruto the same questions that night after Hinata slept.

Naruto shrugged, “I like what Hinata likes,”

Minato hummed, “I suspected so,”

Naruto looked at him, “What do you mean?”

Minato smiled at him, “You are following her cues because you don’t know how live for yourself. You grew up with rigid structures and orders. So you latched onto Hinata for a new structure and for me to give orders for you to live by,”

Naruto tilted his head, “Is that so?”

Minato asked, “Why did you destroy Danzo?”

Naruto shrugged, “The man’s a bore and I wanted to go out,”

Minato chuckled, “Should I be worried about that? Your boredom?”

Naruto stared at the stars above before saying, “Nah. Hinata’s not boring,” He then added with a genuine excited tone to his normally pretentious voice, “Did you know? I ate my vegetable and she patted my head, calling me a good boy? I like that. I want more head pats from her,”

Minato smiled, “Well. That’s something to work for,”

Minato knew that Hinata must be picking up on the scars left on the boy’s mind. The girl was sharp like that. Also, he had talked to her about not following him to meetings. She had been upset by that, tearful that he might no longer need her. So he told her that she have a mission. A long term one.

Help Naruto reclaim his humanity.

It would be an extremely long road but Hinata was devoted if anything.That girl was stubborn once she locked in on a mission. Perhaps it was just the Kunoichi in her that can’t be expressed in a normal way. Hinata needed a purpose to feel needed and cared. Naruto needed structure to live by and to feel a purpose for existing. Both children didn’t know how to live any other way due to the adults that scarred them growing up.

So he decided to have them guide each other.

Hinata shifted the curtain aside and said, “We are near Konoha. Can you see it? The Grand Entrance?”

Naruto peeked out, leaning close to her, his blue eyes sharp as he took in the looming pillars. He could sense the Shinobi inside. He could sense the barrier that they put up. Danzo’s plan to infiltrate always failed because the Yondaime have strengthened both barrier and security.

He smiled, “Yeah. I can see it,”

Chapter Text

To help Naruto acclimate himself to society in the normal way, Minato decided to have him attend Konoha Academy. Naruto was reluctant but then Minato decide to enroll Hinata alongside him. Hinata, unlike Naruto, was pleasantly surprised by his decision.

She stared at him, her eyes sparkling like silver stars, “Can I really, Father?”

Minato nodded, “Yes. You can. I have talked to the teachers. You cannot use your chakra externally for Ninjutsu so they won’t expect you to be able to do the Ninja 3 basics. However, you are very capable in Taijutsu and Bukijutsu. You are also very agile and stealthy. Sure, being able to stick to walls and walk on water would make life as a Shinobi easier, but I am not sending you on outside mission. You will be helping me with paperwork mostly, after all. But you still need your Shinobi license. There is also a boy in the upper years who have similar troubles as you though his aren’t as severe since he can still use a bit of chakra. Not to mention, I will no longer worry about your clan members bullying you now that Naruto is here,”

Naruto sipped on his drink, his muscle mass was slowly but surely recovering under Hinata’s endless feeding and training with him. Minato wasn’t joking about Hinata’s Taijutsu prowess. She wasn’t able to use the deadly touch of Juuken but she was still as nimble as any martial artist. She was also strong with her internal augmentation. She just can’t stick to walls like a spider. She was also extremely capable with weapons in her hand. In fact, she was almost a Samurai with how good she was with katana.

Still, hearing that the clan she came from could still have members that will try to bully her made his tea taste sour. He supposed he will need to keep an eye out for them.

Hinata looked like she will vibrate out of her seat and Minato smiled at the sight. He then turned to Naruto, “And please don’t use your Kekkei Genkai on anyone, Naruto,”

He had asked the boy about the Kekkei Genkai. Naruto told him how he managed to ‘awaken’ it and apparently as similar as it was with the Kaguya Clan’s Shikotsumyaku, it was only similar in that domestic cats and lions were similar. Naruto’s Tomogoroshi Haikotsu was a sure kill ability. Anything he stabbed or sliced using his bones will turn into ashes. Although he learned to coat any bone made weapon with wind chakra so that the bone itself won’t touch his target, thus able to keep his target alive.

Definitely not a technique he should be showing off to his peers for fun.

Not to mention, from the report he received from the ANBU sent to those marked places, the area where Naruto apparently escaped from had completely collapsed on itself and was unsafe to explore. But the signs all pointed to underground explosions. The lack of bodies implied that everyone had been eradicated using his Kekkei Genkai. The camps that he had marked on the map have all been accounted for. Alas, only a single boy was rescued out of the rest of the camp. The ROOT agents placed there as instructors had immediately killed the child recruits through self destruction jutsu before the ANBU agents could stop them. The one that survived only did because his sickly older brother hid him by claiming to have killed him during the selection exam.

Both children were now safe in Konoha with the brother finally receiving proper treatment.

Minato cannot imagine the sort of training that Naruto was forced to go through to be honed into Danzo’s best weapon only to have it turned on him…out of boredom.

Naruto shrugged, “What if they are threatening Hinata?”

Minato hummed, “That would depend on what sort of threat they posed. If it is just kids being kids, then a few bruises and dislocated joints can do wonder. If they are actual danger to her and Konoha, then I give you permission to detain them for interrogation. If they are too much trouble for detainment, erasure is proper,”

Hinata ate her pudding, “I can handle dislocating joints,”

Minato smiled, “You don’t like conflict though?”

Hinata smiled back, “I can’t have people think that the daughter of the Hokage is a pushover,”

Naruto looked at her, “Why didn’t you throw hands with those brats back at the capital’s playground?”

She turned her eyes on him, “I saw you nearby. I want to know what you will do if they bully me. I am hoping to be friends but I don’t want to be friends with cowards,”

Minato burst out laughing while Naruto stared at her before pouting, “Cheeky girl,”

So on the day of their enrollment, Naruto ignored Hinata as she tried to make him take off the kimono that he stole from her, “No one will take you seriously if you wear a girl’s kimono,”

Naruto shrugged, “I don’t want them to take me seriously. People like that don’t deserve my time,” He looked at her, “And I don’t really need friends like you insisted,”

Hinata puffed her cheeks, “We don’t live like islands, Aniue!”

Naruto grinned at her and pinched her puffy cheeks, “You can go make friends. I’ll watch,”

Hinata frowned, “But I don’t want you to be alone,”

He tilted his head, his long bangs casting shadows over his shining eyes, “I’m not alone. I have you?”

Hinata huffed despite her blushing cheeks, “You are impossible,”

He grinned, as if he just won an argument with her. They stood near each other as Minato started the new year and welcomed new students. Naruto can sense people looking at him in confusion. He stood a little taller than his peers. After all, ROOT’s chef might as well have no tongue but their nutrition arrangement was on point. He ate well despite everything tasting like medicine. And maybe they added some growth hormone drugs to make him grow faster. Naruto didn’t know and didn’t care.

He was just glad that it made killing bigger opponent easier.

As they entered the advance class, he mapped the room and immediately cataloged the faces in the room between boring and useful. Those from clans were slotted into useful while those from civilian houses but made it this far were still pending. But already a few were slotted for boring. The teachers, Umino Iruka, started calling on their names and stopping over Hinata’s with a warm smile.

He looked at her, “Welcome to my class, Miss Hinata. I hope that you will learn something good from me,”

Hinata stood up and gave him a polite bow, “I have heard good things about your from Father. I hope to experience your wisdom for myself, Iruka-Sensei,”

Iruka blushed, “T-t-the Hokage himself said so? Oh…well, I don’t know what to say,” He cleared his throat and went through the list before stopping over a name, “Uzumaki…Naruto? Yet another new face in my class?” He looked up and took in the blond beside Hinata, “Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?”

Naruto stood up and gave a practiced polite smile, “My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I’m Hinata’s Aniue. Be nice with her and I might just ignore you,”

Iruka blinked at the odd introduction. But the fact that he called himself Hinata’s ‘Aniue’ meant that he was related to the Hokage in some way. Maybe another adopted child? But Iruka put the thoughts aside and continued with the class. He started on Shinobi laws and threw chalks at Nara Shikamaru as usual. He took notice that Hinata was a diligent student who took notes in class while Naruto was…he was sleeping with his eyes open.

Iruka’s brow twitched and he threw a chalk at Naruto…only for the blond to grab the chalk out of its midair trajectory. Iruka’s eyes narrowed a little at the skill. He will need to speak to the Hokage about that small detail.

During physical classes, Hinata nailed all the bulls eyes, making the boys stare and the girls pout with envy. Especially when the class’s darling Uchiha Sasuke took notice. Naruto…didn’t even try. Every kunai and shuriken fell short and his form was sloppy. The boys made fun of him and the girls turned their noses up at him. And during Taijutsu class, Hinata threw her opponents out of the ring. Naruto…got himself thrown out of the ring…with a sneeze and a twisted ankle.

Everyone else dismissed him as the class clown.

But Iruka knew better.

The chalk was a clue.

After school, he went to the Hokage’s office to report. Minato wanted to know how Hinata did on her first day in school. The man smiled at Iruka reported that she was amicable with the girls and that the class was welcoming. He had to set her aside for chakra control class, though, and Minato nodded in understanding.

Iruka then paused, causing Minato to open his eyes, the Hokage’s chin propped over his laced fingers as he focused on the Chuunin, “What is it?”

Iruka shifted, “About Naruto…is he an undercover ANBU?”

Minato smiled, understanding why Iruka was uncomfortable with the idea. After all, Naruto was young. Extremely so. The idea that a child was made into a black-ops agent will never sit well with the compassionate man before him. Minato sat up straight and waved his hand, “He was already like that when he came to me. I will not go into detail but Naruto willingly chose to stay by Hinata’s side. He said she fed him so now he must listen to her,” He chuckled at the memory. He smiled at Iruka, “What did he do?”

Iruka explained, “Other than catching my chalk while sleeping with open eyes, he showed no aptitude for a Shinobi recruit. He showed no interest to interact with the others and he barely care to involve himself with the class’s activities. An extremely stark contrast to Lady Hinata,”

Minato hummed, “I guess you are interesting to him if he handed you a clue that an idiot isn’t all that he is,”

Iruka blinked, “Interesting?”

Minato smiled at him, “Just keep an eye out and make sure that the other kids don’t get on his nerves. The people who raised him and trained him…let’s just say that they are dead because…Naruto got bored of them,”

Iruka turned pale, “Are you sure that he is safe to be around the other children?”

In any other context, as a father, Minato would have felt insulted. But he knew how dangerous Naruto can get, especially if given the time to study his opponent and the use of his Kekkei Genkai. But he was still a child. Still malleable. Whatever damages done to him could still be reversed. No, not reversed. Healed. But he will need Hinata for that. Because for whatever reason, Naruto have decided to latch onto her. As much as Minato cared for his adopted daughter, he have a sworn duty to Naruto as the man who made him what he was; Jinchuuriki.

Minato kept a calm air as he reassured the man, “Naruto is safe as long as Hinata isn’t threatened. Though I already made him promise not to be…deadly…around the kids. However, expect broken limbs should they try anything,” He chuckled, “Or maybe you should keep an eye on for pranks. He have a sadistic streak to him,”

Iruka sighed, “I…don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

Minato laughed, “No you don’t,”

Iruka whimpered, “You could at least be nicer about it,”

After that, Iruka kept an eye out for the two. Not just because they were both children of the Hokage but also because of what Minato said. The man never denied that Naruto was dangerous. Though the boy’s act was flawless in the sense that no one other than him took the boy’s shenanigans seriously. Already, he pulled pranks around the school from pure boredom. One of which caused the ground floor toilet to regurgitate and flood the whole floor with excrement and other things.The school was closed for the whole week to be cleaned and the pipe repaired.

The only one capable of making him apologize was Hinata. All she needed to do was give him her patented disappointed look and a tug on his ear to make him pull an acrobatic dogeza out of his ass.

He really didn’t need to triple back flip to do that.

Now the other brats were attempting the same without numerous successes.

Hell, just the other day, a colleague did the same to apologize to his girlfriend.

What was this? A dogeza tournament?

Then one day a Hyuuga boy fell out the third floor window. Well, almost. Naruto was holding onto his ankle while saying, “Apologize to Hinata,”

The boy shouted, “Why should I apologize to a waste?!”

Naruto tugged at his ankle, letting go, and catching the boy who screamed in fear, “Apologize to Hinata,”

The Hyuuga shouted, “Never! She’s less than a branch member!”

“Apologize to Hinata,”

“In your dream, you sissy freak!”

Naruto sighed, “Okay. I asked you thrice and you kept on insulting me. So…bye-bye~!”

The boy, who probably thought that Naruto was bluffing about dropping him head first from the third floor, screamed in terror as he was really let go. Luckily, Iruka was watching and caught the boy just moments before he land head first on the ground. He breathed hard and looked at a smiling Naruto. A chill ran down his spine at the boy’s cold gaze.

“Be nice with her and I might just ignore you,”

Somehow, that playful words finally registered as the warning that it was. Since then, students around Naruto stopped making fun of him. A few of the more prominent clan children started watching him closely. And whoever tried to make fun of Hinata quickly learned that even if Naruto wasn’t around and she wasn’t able to use her chakra, she was still very capable of defending herself.

A few dislocated shoulders later and nobody mess with her.

Iruka asked around and apparently most of Hinata’s bullies either came from her own clan or some ignorant civilian kids with delusion of grandiose problems. A few was because they thought that she was looking down on them all because she was taken in by the Hokage. Inferiority complex was so troublesome, as Nara Shikaku would say when he heard the reason why they were targeting her.

Iruka rubbed his forehead, “She is just a normal girl,”

Then another problem arrived…in the name of Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke was the second son of the Uchiha Clan’s Patriarch. Though he was often compared to his brother Itachi, he was still a very talented Shinobi recruit. Not to mention, his features were pleasant to look at. Needless to say, girls swarmed him like bees to honey. But Sasuke have a standard for the sort of girl that he wanted to be with.

He wanted a strong girl. Someone capable instead of the girls who only know how to gossip and praise him for doing the basic as a Shinobi. None of them impressed him.

Then enter Hyuuga Hinata. Despite her inability to use Ninjutsu, she was able to body slam kids larger than her. And although she entered late, she was exceptional in her studies as Kunoichi. Clearly she took her position as the Hokage’s adopted daughter seriously. Unlike her weird brother. Seriously, who wear girl’s kimono over their usual clothes like a happi?

But although it was rare, their Taijutsu class sometimes allow boys and girls to clash with each other to see the difference in strength and agility between the two genders. It wasn’t to be sexist but it was important for both genders to understand what they can do when confronted by the opposite gender. So when Sasuke was chosen to face Hinata, he didn’t think much. Most girls who were made to face him would normally either tried to grope him or act weak like a damsel, expecting him to be gentle. It only made things awkward for him.

But not Hinata. Despite the rumors about her crippled chakra paths, she faced him head on and sincerely. It took him by surprise at first. After that, he kept expecting for Iruka to pair him up with her. Not only was she a serious student in academic, though behind Haruno Sakura, she was also the most serious student in physical class like Taijutsu and Bukijutsu. Not even the boys took those classes as seriously as her.

For the first time since entering the Academy, Sasuke met a challenge.

Hinata’s presence in class was like a pebble being thrown into the stagnant water that was his life at school. The ripple she created motivated him to be better outside the clan. Itachi was surprised when Sasuke asked for Taijutsu spar. Just pure Taijutsu spar. No chakra.

The boy chuckled, “What’s going on?”

Sasuke, after being thrown to the ground again, blushed, “It’s the Hokage’s daughter,”

Itachi blinked, “Lady Hinata?”

Sasuke sat up with a grunt and nodded, “She’s strong,”

Itachi hummed, “If she specialize on Taijutsu and Bukijutsu, I guess she is. But she will be limited. She might be able to disrupt her chakra to counter Genjutsu but for Ninjutsu, she will be a sitting duck,”

Sasuke shrugged, “I know that. But compared to the others, she is strong,” He scrunched his nose, “Unlike her clown of a brother,”

Itachi hummed, “I don’t know, Sasuke. You should study him more before you decide that he’s not worth your time,” At his brother’s frown, Itachi smiled, “The kind of enemy that you really should be wary of is the kind that succeed at making you think that they are nothing,”

Sasuke huffed, “Are you sure?”

Itachi nodded, “We are Shinobi, Sasuke. Smoke and mirrors, remember that,”

Sasuke scowled at the fingers poking his temple. He then rolled his shoulders, “Again,”

So Sasuke tried to take Naruto seriously. But it was hard. The boy slept in class. Missed his homework. Never take any of the more physical classes seriously. Like when Iruka have them run through the obstacle course. He somehow managed to get himself thrown out and ‘killed’ before even passing the first obstacle. He also never manage to throw the first punch in Taijutsu and get himself thrown out of bound before his opponent could make up heads or tails of what was going on.

It was confusing.

Why did Itachi tell him to keep an eye on the clown?

The day before a weekend, he looked up to see Naruto dangling another kid out the window. He stared at the sight as he demanded that the idiot apologize to Hinata. Sasuke didn’t understand. It was clear that Hinata can defend herself, against her clansmen or not. But Naruto kept threatening any idiot who insulted her behind her back. Still, the more he stared, the more his brain picked on something.

When Naruto threw the kunai and shuriken in target classes, his wrists always looked like they can’t handle throwing the weapons with the sort of strength needed. But now that he was watching, Naruto was holding a boy 2 years his senior with only one hand with little to not effort on his part. Not only that. In chakra training classes, the leaves never stick to him for long or won’t stick to him at all. Like he didn’t know the first thing about circulating chakra. Even Hinata, who could exert chakra, could circulate them. But there he stood, one arm straight as he threatened the Hyuuga senior to apologize to Hinata. Like the weight of a boy older than him was nothing but papers. He even tossed the ankle up and down like he would a lightweight object, playing toss and catch with a person’s life.

Iruka opened the window under the one Naruto was threatening the boy, “Naruto! Let him go! Don’t make me go and call Hinata!”

Naruto pouted and let the boy go only for Iruka to catch him. He ignored the man and simply left. Rude. Brash. The image of someone who disrespect authority. Of an entitled brat who got away with things just because someone in his family was in a higher seat of authority.

“Smoke and mirrors, remember that,”

Later that day, he told what he saw to Itachi. His brother watched him before asking, “And what do you think?”

Sasuke scowled, “I’m not sure what I’m seeing,”

Itachi hummed, “Do you know what makes Hinata so special to the Hokage?” At Sasuke’s confused look, he said, “Observation skill. Not just because of the Byakugan. Hyuuga Hinata have such visual prowess that some said that she can see into your very heart. But in reality, she is just more perceptive than most people. A Shinobi skill that most only remember when they join the ANBU and the Hokage’s Shadow Guards,”

Sasuke frowned, thinking back on what he had observed about Uzumaki Naruto. If he followed Itachi’s advise about smoke and mirrors, what he was seeing was only what Naruto wanted him and the rest of the Academy to see. Few notice who he really was behind the smoke and mirrors. Iruka seemed to be aware or the man won’t have been so quick to find Naruto every time a big prank that halted all Academy operations happened. The man was onto something.

Sasuke asked, “Is he actually an undercover bodyguard?”

Itachi chuckled, “Who knows?”

Sasuke grumbled, “Nii-san!”

Chapter Text

“Hinata!”

Hinata looked up from where she was choosing flowers to see Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura approaching her with their flower arranging kit. Ino sat down along with Sakura, both of them holding a basket of random flowers. Hinata smiled at that, “Can I help you?”

Ino asked, “Don’t you have anything other than kimono to wear?”

Hinata looked down at her kimono, “I am comfortable in my kimono. It is easy to just wear them so if Father require my attendance, I am prepared,”

Sakura hummed, “I see…anyway, what do you think about Sasuke?”

Hinata hid a sigh at the question. Ino and Sakura won’t be the first to approach her to ask her about the boy. Hinata thought of him as hard working and capable but no more or less than other hard working and capable Shinobi. Though she also noticed his interest in her. Something that confused her.

She kept a polite smile on her lips, “Sasuke-san? Well, he is a capable Shinobi recruit,”

Ino hummed, “What about his looks? Isn’t he handsome?”

For some odd reason, when they ask about Sasuke’s looks, Hinata was thinking about Naruto when he was up to no good. His smile would take on a dangerous edge and his glowing eyes would be shaded by his bangs. Each time he have that expression on his face, her heart will skip. Something that she constantly berated herself on for he was her Aniue and not some random boy from the Academy.

Hinata gave a polite answer, “I like it more when Aniue smile,”

Naruto have such diverse types of smiles. There was the neutral smile that he put on when meeting new people. There was the goofy smile he always had on whenever he pranked the school. There was that playful smile that he wore when he was pretending to be childish. There was that dangerous smile that he only wore when he was up to something that could lead to someone sleeping at the hospital or ashes. So far, Hinata was happy to report that there was no ashes to gather into an urn. And then there was that sweet smile that he didn’t seem to realize he wear when he was around either her or Minato. A private smile, small and shy that he didn’t seem to register. But to her, that was his most beautiful smile.

Sakura frowned, “He’s so stupid, though,”

Hinata’s arranging hands paused before she said, “Oh?”

Ino nudged Sakura in warning but the rosette continued, “I mean, he is always so disruptive! He’s loud and obnoxious! I saw him fart loudly in the hall the other day and just laugh like it was a good joke! It wasn’t! So immature! Honestly, he should take after you more! I mean, he should be more aware of his standing now that the Hokage had taken him in! It is no excuse to behave the way he did! He should forget about the time he spent with no parents to correct him! If I did half the things he did and my parents get news of it, I’ll never hear the end of it!”

Ino rolled her eyes, “Just say you’re jealous that he gets to experience the life of a feral child, Sakura,”

Sakura laughed, “Ha! As if! He was so used to being free that he’s forgetting his place!” She looked at Hinata, “I’m so sorry that you have such an embarrassment for a brother, Hinata. What was the Hokage thinking when he took him in?”

For a moment, Hinata felt like using the scissors to cut Sakura’s mouth. But she held back the sudden need to see blood and instead said as she snipped on a flower’s stem with a little too much force than necessary, “Father is wise. I will not pretend to know what he thinks,”

Sakura was ignorant and this was no place to be violent. Beside, she was aware that Naruto had purposefully put on a goofy act so that others will dismiss him. But she knew better. He just didn’t want to be bothered by things like friendship. She tried to make him open up for the others but he would only annoy them to the point that they will ignore him if they can.

He would then look at her and shrug, as if cheekily telling her; “well, I tried”.

Ino nodded after glaring at Sakura, “Yeah. Yondaime-sama is smart after all,”

Sakura ignored Ino and giggled, “Sasuke on the other hand is so smart, handsome, and mature!”

Hinata hummed, “Is that so?”

Sakura grinned, “Yeah he is! I mean, I saw him using Katon Ninjutsu the other day by the lake. He is so much more advanced than the other kids!”

Ino sighed, “He’s so cool. Even with such a hot element,”

The two girls then started to compare their memories of their “darling Sasuke”, completely forgetting about their project. Hinata endured as she listened to them gushing about Sasuke on and on. She just can’t see his appeal. He was far too much like the boys in her clan. Talented and arrogant. What the girls called cool, she saw it as him looking down on others. Sure, Naruto looked down on other people too but not because he thinks that he was better than them…well, who was she kidding? He did see the other ANBU as beneath him. But he just didn’t care enough to take them seriously for as long as they didn’t present themselves as a threat to him. And between him and Sasuke? Hinata knew that Naruto have more experience in the Shinobi world than Sasuke. To him, the kids at the Academy were just babies learning how to run after standing up and wobbling forward.

Hinata finished her arrangement with a gentle reminder, “Class is only 5 minutes left,”

The girls gasped before shrieking and arranging their flowers in frantic chaos. Hinata smiled as Ino almost stabbed herself on the pin frog while Sakura cut her fingers on the sharp scissors after grabbing it wrong. So with bloody fingers, they finished their messy ikebana, to the displeasure of the Kunoichi in charge of their class.

As they left the classroom for the infirmary, Hinata wondered why they suddenly wanted to talk to her about Sasuke. Have she ever shown interest in him? As she thought about it, she decided that she didn’t. He was just as interesting as any other student. Most of her focus, if not on the class, was on Naruto. Every time she looked away from him, he was off causing trouble. She was sure that Iruka-Sensei have a new streak of white in his hair every time Naruto threatened a student.

The man knew that not everything was as it seemed with Naruto.

Meanwhile, Minato seemed to be reminiscing about his Academy days whenever Iruka or one of the other teachers report to him about Naruto and the mess he made weekly. While his late wife Kushina was a spitfire delinquent who beat up anyone who jeered at her Uzumaki hair, Minato was a sly saboteur that did things behind the scene. He often get away with his pranks because of his soft good boy image. But while Minato was fine pranking people from the shadow, Naruto took after his mother’s more direct approach of elevating his boredom.

During lunch, she sat down under her favorite tree. She was suspicious by Naruto’s absence and wondered if he was up to another prank. She put down the box that she carried for Naruto and waited. She hoped that Minato will remember to eat without her there to nag him. But as she waited, she wondered why Sasuke showed interest in her. She didn’t do anything that should attract his attention. All she did was focus on her class.

Even if Naruto would cause flooding or blackouts whenever he felt like it so that he can skip school for the next few days, Hinata would fill her time at home with lesson. She was trying to understand the fundamental of Fuuinjutsu and that was possibly the only thing she was learning that Naruto showed interest in. Too bad that the Academy do not have a Fuuinjutsu class. When she brought the matter up to Minato, he told her that Fuuinjutsu was too unpredictable to be taught to kids who just want to make things explode. In the same breath, he forbid Naruto from using Fuuinjutsu in any of his pranks.

Which apparently cut more than half of the sort of pranks he planned.

Hinata doubted that she would be surprised if the Academy will one day be replaced by a giant mushroom cloud had Minato not forbid Naruto because the boy sincerely hated the Academy.

“Hinata?”

Hinata blinked, her thought brambles disappeared as she turned to look at the Uchiha standing awkwardly nearby. She gave him a polite smile, “Yes? Can I help you, Sasuke?”

Sasuke coughed, his ears red as he asked, “Can I…can I sit with you?”

Hinata looked at the empty space. She couldn’t give a reason why he shouldn’t so she said, “Of course,”

Sasuke sat down a little too eagerly and opened his own lunch box. Hinata felt a little bad for him. For someone so popular, he was pretty much isolated by that same popularity. Ignoring him, she sat there waiting. If she just eat on her own, Naruto would pout at her until dinner. He was clingy in the weirdest way.

Sasuke stopped chewing and asked, “Aren’t you eating?”

Hinata shook her head, “I’m waiting for Aniue,”

He frowned, “You should eat. Lunch break isn’t very long. If he’s late, you shouldn’t suffer for it,” He then added, “Taijutsu spar after lunch, remember?”

Academic classes in the morning, physical classes in the evening, that was the school’s schedule. But Hinata shook her head, “Aniue likes eating with me,”

Sasuke scowled, “You are not living in the Warring States, you know? Where you have to wait for the man to eat first before you can eat,”

Hinata giggled, “I know that. I just like watching Aniue smile when he eats with me,”

Sasuke stared at her, “You like him?”

Hinata smiled at him, “Don’t you like you Nii-san, Sasuke?”

Sasuke blushed, “He’s my bro! Of course I like him!” He then looked at her, “But you and Naruto. Aren’t you two the same age?”

Hinata nodded, “He’s two months older than me so I called him Aniue,” She pressed a hand on her chest, “By giving him the title, I feel closer as a family,”

Sasuke asked, “So you only see him as a brother?”

Hinata opened her mouth to answer him but then the siren inside the Academy screamed. They looked at the building to see everyone inside screaming and crying as the sprinkler fell on the people inside. But before they can do anything, she noticed how most of the people screamed from pain and blinking their eyes. A few Chuunin used Suiton to weakly blast at the people screaming, further confusing her.

“Maybe the hot sauce is a tad bit too much,”

Hinata sighed and looked at Naruto who came out of nowhere. He was very good with Shunshin and Kawarimi, often mixing the two to further confuse people of his exact location. But that was not the point. The point was that he just canceled yet another week of schooling.

Sasuke glared at him, “Hot sauce? You used hot sauce in the sprinkler?”

Naruto hummed, “Hot sauce, itching powder, and glitters. I’m just checking how up to date the sprinkler is,”

“NA-RU-TO~!!”

Naruto grinned, “And there goes Iruka-sensei,” He picked up his lunch box and patted Hinata’s head, “Sorry, Hinata, but I got to go. Bye~!”

He said that but she was sure that he just joined the ANBU hiding in the trees somewhere. Before she can say anything about the mess, Iruka appeared with a crying red face and glitter covered hair, scratching himself furiously as he tried to smile at her, “Miss Hinata! Have you seen Naruto?”

She didn’t lie, “He just left,” She then bowed, “Sorry about this, Iruka-sensei,”

Iruka waved an agitated hand at her, “Never mind that. His mess is not yours to clean up. I better go,” He turned and ran off, scratching angrily while screaming for Naruto and promising the most mind numbingly boring punishment once the building’s sprinklers were fixed. Which, for a hyper active kid like Naruto, was pure hell.

Sasuke full body shuddered with remembered horror, “At least it wasn’t a mite infestation like the last few months,” He asked her, “Why does he keep doing this?”

Hinata sighed, “Aniue hate school but didn’t want to skip it. So he sabotage it instead,”

Also, he was probably helping Minato update the school on the side. The man did complain about the lack of enthusiasm to renovate the school for a more modern and up to date facilities. But she wasn’t about to call him out on that. At least with this mess, the parents will have no choice but to put money in renovating the school.

Maybe.

Since class was canceled for the day, she excused herself from Sasuke and head straight for the Hokage Tower. She wondered if Naruto would be there. All talks with Sasuke gone from her mind. A few people greeted her as she walked past them and she gave them a polite smile. Then…she saw Hiashi with his attendant coming out of the store nearby.

Instead of pausing or stopping, she took a different path.

She didn’t want to clash with her biological father if she can help it. Not without Minato nearby. Every time Hiashi turned his pale gaze on her, she felt less than the dirt she stood on. Despite the years that have healed her, Hiashi was still able to make her tremble with incompetence.

“Hi~nata!”

Hinata looked up, the dark emotions stirring in her chest dissipated as she saw Naruto crouching on an electric pole, “Aniue!”

Naruto smiled at her, “What are you doing?”

She looked at her lunch box, “I plan to eat with Father?” She then looked at him, “Aren’t you still running from Iruka-sensei?”

Naruto shrugged as he landed in front of her, “He’s chasing a clone at the moment,”

“Please not the explosive clone,”

Naruto grinned, arms stretched over his head to cradle his skull, “Don’t worry. It’s just a boring old clone,”

Sure. A Shadow Clone that only elite Jounin and above can use was just a “boring old clone”.

He hummed as he walked with an exaggerated swagger beside her, acting like he didn’t just almost commit a war crime at the Academy. Or maybe he already committed a war crime since they came across numerous Chuunin racing to the hospital with patients on their back, crying in pain and writhing with itchiness like worms under the summer sun.

Hinata observed, “Father will probably punish you this time,”

Naruto grinned, “Oh, joy! Think he will let me have a go at T & I?”

Hinata huffed, “No. Shinobi work is forbidden to you,”

Naruto pouted, “Bo~ring~!”

Hinata then pulled out her ultimate, turning big crystal eyes at him with a watery gaze, catching his eyes, “Aniue, don’t you like going to school with me?”

Naruto smacked right into a pole at the sight.

Hinata gasped before giggling at his unexpected predicament, “Aniue! Are you alright?”

Naruto rubbed his red nose, scowling, “I’m fine,”

Hinata giggled at him before reaching towards his face and pulling his head close. She kissed the tip of his red nose and whispered, “Pain, pain, go away!”

Once he sufficiently ‘healed’, Hinata returned to her own mind. She wondered what to make for tomorrow’s lunch and hoped that Minato ate the one she prepared for him that morning. The man might be a competent Hokage and he can cook, but more often than not he would forget due to how busy he can get. Since she learned how to cook, she had taken up the role of making sure he feed himself. And after Naruto joined their little family, she made sure that he stop eating raw meat. Even if he can’t get sick, it didn’t mean that he should eat raw meat.

Upon arriving at Minato’s office, she immediately noticed his guilty look at her arrival and the untouched lunch box. She puffed out her cheeks, “Father. You need to take better care of yourself!”

Minato gave a nervous chuckled while Shikaku who stood nearby tried to pretend that he was innocent, “O-okay. Sorry, Hinata. I got carried away with this document here,”

Hinata glared at him as she made her way to his desk, opening the forgotten lunch box and putting it beside him with a stern look, “Eat,” She then turned to Shikaku, “Uncle Shikaku, please let Lord Hokage eat,”

Shikaku deflated, “Sorry,”

Minato sheepishly started eating the lunch box. He felt as bad as he looked. After all, his little girl made him a lunch box and he didn’t eat it on time. He then noticed a quiet Naruto staring at Hinata. He wondered what caused the boy to look at her like she just told him the truth about the universe.

At the same time, Hinata completely ignored Naruto’s staring and took a seat on the visitor’s couch to eat her lunch box. Her expression bright and happy just to spend some time with her father. All thoughts about Hiashi and his Hyuuga attendant forgotten as she shared what happened at the Academy with Minato.

Minato didn’t know what to think about Fugaku’s kid showing interest in Hinata. In the end, he said, “That boy needs a hobby,”

Leave his little girl alone.

Meanwhile, Naruto had fallen silent after the kiss. He stared at her, the dull throb of his face forgotten. He then quietly followed her to the Hokage Tower and was currently picking at Minato’s food just to be nuisance.

That was…unexpected. He had seen people kissing before. Couples kissing or trying to eat each other’s face. Mothers pecking their children all over like a hungry bird. Kunoichi killing their target with a distracting kiss. He never saw the use of it. It was just another act that humans do on each other that made little to no sense at all. Yet, the kiss that Hinata gave him actually made the pain disappear like she sang.

“You’re just in shock and didn’t even feel it when I fixed your little injury. The ‘healing’ kiss have nothing to do with it,”

Naruto ignored the suddenly jealous fox, still reeling from his very first kiss.

“Now you’re just being dramatic,”

Hinata’s voice broke to the haze with a worried look, “Aniue? Are you still in pain?”

Naruto blushed, “N-no! I’m okay!”

Hinata hummed before shoving a dumpling at him, “Stop stealing Father’s food. He need them for his brain. Those documents can be brutal so his brain will need all the energy. Here, I’ll share with you mine,”

Naruto looked at Minato’s giant lunch box, “So that’s why you always pack extra for him,”

She proudly puffed her chest, “They are all brain food!”

“The candies too?”

“Brain uses a lot of sugar for energy,”

“…I’m surprised that Shikamaru doesn’t have a mouthful of cavities,”

Shikaku cleared his throat by the shelf where he was arranging the scrolls between ‘In’ and ‘Out’ tray, “We try to regulate how much sugar we eat per day,”

Despite the discussion going on, his mind kept going back to that kiss. Innocent. Soft. Sweet. He never really understood the purpose of a kiss. The first experience he had with a kiss, or almost kiss, was when a ROOT agent specialized in seduction showed him how a kiss can be used to kill. When they tried to training him, he killed her before she could get her lips anywhere near him. He never let people touch him after that.

But Hinata’s kiss came out of nowhere.

Her kiss was just like the cinnamon roll that she fed him on the day they met.

All his life, he saw a kiss as a way to kill. He never thought he’d saw a day where a kiss can be used for healing. Well, not really healing but at the same time it felt like a healing. Not that he can tell the difference due to the fox healing him faster than any medic that ROOT trained. But though it didn’t really do anything for the injury to his face, it did something to something inside him. It wasn’t painful but it was different.

In the end, Naruto’s mind decided that Hinata have a magic kiss.

That night, after being scolded by Minato for the mess at the Academy but at the same time thanked for giving Minato more solid reasoning to renovate the school, he told the man what Hinata did, “She have a magic kiss!”

Minato blinked at his decisive report and nodded, “I see,”

Chapter Text

Konoha was…different.

There was structure and schedules but nothing so strict as when he was back in ROOT. For one, he wasn’t trapped in a cell. For another, he wasn’t made to kill in every training. Sure, the teachers were frustrated that he wasn’t giving his all, if any. But they won’t threaten or force him to show everything either. He wasn’t pushed to the brink of death. And the food was actually tasty.

Minato said that if it wasn’t because of their daily morning sparring, Naruto would have probably blown up to challenge the Akemichi Clan in body size.

But he can’t help it. Hinata’s cooking was so good and whenever he asked her about trying something he saw on the street, she didn’t mind researching the recipe to make it at home for him and Minato. In fact, most of the recipes she used actually belonged to the late Kushina. There was some bizarre combination in there but Hinata improvise and add on it until it was actually edible. Though the only recipes she won’t cook were seafood based. She suffered from shellfish allergy and so no one in the family will ask her to cook seafood for them.

But Hinata’s cooking aside, Minato was actually more easy going than Danzo. Then again, he was warm to anyone who meet him. But once business was brought to the table, the other side of him will rear its head. The man was good with his own but very strict to visitors. He also heard that a Kumo spy once tried kidnapping Hinata. Minato didn’t even give Kumo the chance to defend themselves. He personally delivered the man’s head to the Raikage’s office.

The people there apparently was still looking for the seal that Minato had somehow managed to put in the Raikage’s office. No wonder the man received the first ‘Flee On Sight’ warning in the Shinobi Bingo Book. Anyone he marked could be a ticket past the enemy’s line of defense. Iwa stopped visiting Konoha altogether to prevent this particular problem after the 3^rd Shinobi War.

Naruto hummed as he stared at the Hiraishin Kunai the Minato had given him on his 12^th birthday. It have been 3 years since he destroyed ROOT and 2 years since he was reunited with Minato and met Hinata. For the last year, other than trailing after Hinata, openly stalking her, and pranking the hell out of people that annoyed him, he have been trying to decode the Hiraishin. Minato had tried offering to give him clues but Naruto declined the offer. It was better for him to figure this out so that he can master it on his term.

He can just imagine the chaos that people will feel if his bone missed them only for him to stab them from behind. It was glorious, just thinking about it. But first…

“What’s this squiggle about?”

Hinata sighed, closing her text. She have been reviewing her studies diligently as of late. After all, graduation day was just around that corner. Now, if only Sasuke stopped bringing his fangirls around just to sit next to her. She didn’t mind his offer of friendship but his offer of friendship came with a hoard of noisy girls that would then try to trip her or steal her pencil. Petty things but still annoying. At least they were smart enough to not confront her physically after that girl from the Akemichi clan tried to flatten her in the ring. She didn’t succeed and even though Hinata could not use Juuken, she can still augment her strength so that meant that the poor girl was thrown out of the ring before she could body slam Hinata.

Naruto still managed to find a way to light her hair on fire though.

Poor girl was bald for months after that.

They have started to learn that if they mess with Hinata, Naruto will make them cry bloody tears of regret with a sadistic grin. He wasn’t even apologetic about it when Minato made him apologize to the girl’s parent. In his defense, he did say that he will ignore them if they don’t mess with her. Sure, they still mess with her in the most mundane and boring way when he was conveniently absent.

Speaking of, why was he absent often these days?

Granted that her clansmen hardly dare to breathe in her direction after he set one of them on fire after he pushed Hinata in the hallway with a Juuken tap. No one can proof that it was him, only her words against his. But Naruto didn’t need proof. He only need to see the bruise on her and her words. Then off he went hunting and set the boy on fire during a cooking class that he wasn’t even supposed to attend.

Minato had to visit the Hyuuga Clan after that and even though Hinata was too sick to be there, Naruto reassured her that Minato wasn’t kind with her clansmen. She was still his daughter and that there was limits to his patience and understanding. Had they not use their Juuken to hurt her, he won’t have come down personally to give them a warning. He was fair but there were people around him that didn’t play by the rule.

But that meant that the more dangerous threat to her in the Academy had been neutralized. Still, Naruto would normally hang around her. He would even act as buffer between her and Sasuke’s fans since they were scared of him after his numerous attempt on setting people on fire. Minato had lamented about that but also showed great relief that no one died at the Academy.

She sighed and opened a different book. She wanted to aim for the top student for academic field since she knew that her points in physical will be cut due to being unable to use Ninjutsu. That was what happened with that senior from last year. She saw him around with cousin Neji sometimes. He graduated Dead Last due to his inability to past the Ninjutsu portion. But Hinata didn’t want to be Dead Last. She took pride in being the daughter of the Hokage and even if Minato didn’t expect it of her, she wanted to make him proud.

So she wanted to take first place in academic.

But there was an obstacle. A stumbling block that she kept getting defeated by.

Haruno Sakura.

Smartest girl of their year. Even if her Taijutsu was sloppy, she was top in everything else. She was great with Genjutsu and Ninjutsu classes and she never failed at occupying first place in exams for academic with Hinata struggling a point or two less under her. So Hinata was brushing up on her academics.

“I’m definitely getting first place in academic this time!”

Naruto hang in the tree, quietly watching the two idiots under him. When Minato received suspicious report from the Academy, he decided to let Naruto handle it before the boy could combust from sheer unadulterated boredom. Ever since he started giving Naruto simple missions, he stopped sabotaging the school so much. Though in return, the teachers doubled down on cramming their lessons into the head of the recruits due to all the canceled classes that Naruto caused.

It was still a win for Naruto since the classes were less boring with everyone glaring at him for all the extra work he caused the teachers give to them. In his mind, still being fixed from his time with ROOT, they will need it to survive Shinobi life.

The only class he took seriously was geography and navigation.

Since Danzo, in an attempt to keep a leash on him, kept him in the dark when it came to his location. He promised to allow Naruto freedom if the boy listen to his orders. But Danzo was paranoid enough that no amount of ‘pleasing’ the man worked. Naruto will have to give him that.

He stifled a yawn as Mizuki, Iruka’s assistant, accepted the bribery and promises of power from the spy. Naruto wondered how Orochimaru managed to sneak in a spy when Danzo failed. He will need to ask Minato about the matter that evening.

Minato, upon hearing about Mizuki and the spy, hummed, “I did ask the Barrier Unit to open some ‘accidental’ passages to bait traitors. I did this after your escape and the confirmation of Danzo’s death,”

Naruto breathed hard on the ground, staring at the stars and mentally revising the map, before saying, “I guess they think that you are lowering your guard due to the cripple’s death making waves?”

Minato smiled, “I did switch out some of the members of the Barrier Unit for less competent and responsible ones after the fact, moving the ones I chose to other more important projects that they are more suited to,”

Naruto sat up, the bruises from Minato’s heavy hit already fading, “So what do you want me to do about Mizuki?”

Minato blocked an attack from Naruto’s limbs, “Nothing. I want to know what exactly he will do,”

Naruto rolled his eyes as he did his best to break past Minato’s defense, “Why do you people always like waiting for what those idiots will do?”

“Boredom…I guess?”

“Well…I guess I got my reckless need to elevate boredom from you,”

Minato and Naruto exchanged blows. As trained and experienced as Naruto were under the tutelage of ROOT, Minato was a different beast. He might have similar problems with Danzo had the man been in his peak health. Then again, Naruto can’t use his Kekkei Genkai freely. Over reliance on his Kekkei Genkai could make him sloppy and he have been grinding against Minato to sharpen his Taijutsu and speed.

At the end, he was once again on the ground, breathing hard. Minato leaned over his fallen form, saying, “No. Your reckless side came from your mother. I’m more of an over thinker,”

Naruto stared up at him before asking, air drawing the rune with his finger, “What does this squiggle do?”

Minato blinked at the sudden question before beaming, “Oh, that? That is…”

Minato was certainly an over thinker. He tried explaining things to Naruto but tended to go over a tandem that completely skipped over Naruto’s head. One thing for sure, he was always happy to teach Fuuinjutsu to his children. Hinata was slow to understand but Naruto was pick up quick. Especially since he did have some experience making explosive tags while underground. It was why Minato had to explicitly forbid him from using seals in his pranks.

Though during the weekend, the school still ended up blown into a mushroom cloud that woke up the whole of Konoha right after the clock struck 12 midnight the day before the graduation exam.

Hinata gawked at the sight, “Why…?”

Naruto, covered in dusts and ashes, something that only those who knew about his Kekkei Genkai will notice, said, “It wasn’t me,”

If one went back an hour ago, one would notice Mizuki lurking in the Academy building, tagging the foundation pillars with explosive tags. It wouldn’t kill anyone but the commotion would open up a chance for him to kidnap both Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata for Orochimaru. The man have shown interest in the girl due to the purity of her Byakugan being unheard of in her clan’s history. As for Sasuke?

Itachi almost killed Orochimaru during a clash so he aimed for the next best Uchiha flesh bag.

Originally, he planned to use some foolish recruit to steal from the Hokage but the man’s security was far stricter and more fatal than anything that the Sandaime would dish out. Everyone knew that he practically renovated the Hokage Tower in his purging of Danzo’s rats. So he knew that stealing something like the Forbidden Scroll would be beyond him or anyone he will try tricking.

Tomorrow, the teachers will be distracted with the exam. He will try to get Hinata secluded near the passage that he have been painstakingly dig for the past year to outside of Konoha, disguised as a hidden evacuation exit. He will then kidnap Sasuke in the chaos before taking him into the same hidden passage. While everyone was busy with rescuing everyone, he should be long outside of Konoha.

Seemed like a solid plan.

Though he needed to make sure that the Uzumaki brat was nowhere near Hinata. Mizuki didn’t know what the Hokage was thinking when he adopted the boy. He was nothing but a nuisance and almost revealed Mizuki’s plan several times with all those inspection and fixing what he broke. Though it also almost cost him the progress with how often the matter about renovating the school came up during staff meetings. If they agree to renovate, then the passage that he have been digging would easily be discovered.

He was glad that the cost was still too high and the renovation plan kept being pushed back.

Even so…

“What do you think you are doing?”

Mizuki glared at the boy in front of him, “What are you doing here, Uzumaki?”

Naruto looked at the tags by the ground, “Certainly not trying to blow this place up, that’s for sure. I mean, the Yondaime made me promise not to do that,”

Mizuki stared at him, a little incredulous by what he just admitted. He then asked, “Why are you with him, anyway? He’s very controlling, isn’t he?”

Naruto nodded, “I guess…”

Mizuki smiled, “Also, that Hinata is such a show off, don’t you think? After all, she kept stealing the spotlight from you. I bet the Hokage adopted you because he needed someone to act as her nanny and not because he actually care about you. But you would rather do something more…destructive, yes?”

Naruto rolled his neck, “I like chaos, true,”

Mizuki’s eyes brightened behind his glasses, “How about this? I know someone that can use your…thirst for chaos. All you need to do is help me bring Hinata to him. He have shown a great interest in her eyes and wanted to see how much ‘purer’ it is when compared to your everyday Byakugan. How about it? Freedom from being collared by the controlling Yondaime and getting rid of an eye sore,”

Naruto looked down, appearing to be thinking.

Mizuki kept prodding, “You will definitely be more appreciated by my…master. He will definitely cultivate you for something more suitable than whatever Konoha have in store for you. After all, they can’t even train you in the way that you need. But I have noticed your physical strength. You only need a training regiment that focus on that instead of those mindless and boring classes. You want to let loose, don’t you? You want to go out and fully test your strength on others, don’t you? As long as you stick by the Yondaime and have to be that Hinata girl’s little guard dog against kids weaker than you, you will never be able to reach your full potential,”

Naruto curiously asked, “Who is your master?”

Mizuki gushed, “Lord Orochimaru. I am sure you have heard about him in class? The disgraced Sage of the legendary Three Sages of Konoha. The Yondaime discovered his…secret projects. He only did what he did for the betterment of Konoha. But instead of gratitude, the man condemned him! Had Lord Orochimaru been chosen as the Yondaime, Konoha would have become the powerhouse of the continent!”

Naruto’s eyes widened, “Really? That sounds…”

Mizuki grinned, “Great, isn’t it? The Yondaime is a foolish man, too passive for our world. His merit on the battlefield for ending the 3^rd Shinobi War was a joke! In fact, if you go outside Konoha, we are actually weak! His peaceful approach weakens us!” He opened his hand, “Now…why don’t you join us winners, Naruto?”

Something white almost stab him and Mizuki moved away to see an ivory stake stuck deep in the floor where his leg was. He looked at Naruto to see him taking out…bones?

Mizuki frowned, “What…?”

Naruto smiled at him but his expression was gloomy, “Are you implying that I’m jealous of Hinata? How…hilarious. Such a boring assumption. What part of me going around trying not to kill her bullies implies that I am jealous of her?” He stuck a tongue out at the man, “What are you? An idiot?”

Mizuki watched as the bones sticking out of the boys palms shifted and refined into slender katana. He took out his own weapon and attacked, knowing that he can’t let Naruto live.

But as his blade met the bone sword, he watched in horror as his short sword was sliced through. He immediately fell back, realizing that the boy mastered Fuuton. Which was just impossible! Then again, Iruka that fool have always acted tense around Naruto. Thinking back, who was this kid anyway? Another orphan that the Hokage took in?

Naruto said as he slowly approached the Chuunin, calm and collected, a sadistic amusement curling on the edge of his lips, “People can be so blind. Who do you think I look like?”

Mizuki paused at the question. But Naruto didn’t let him think for long. The boy went on the offense, forcing Mizuki to take on a defensive stance. The narrow hallway and the boy’s shorter stature made the battle lean in favor to him. Mizuki cursed. He didn’t want to leave signs of battle but something primal told him not to let the bones hit him. When it hit a potted plant, his eyes widened as the plant immediately turn to ashes.

Naruto giggled, “Ashes~ Ashes~ They all fall down~!”

Not good.

Mizuki decided that surviving Naruto was more important than secrecy. He threw some smoke bombs and sought an empty room to drink the potion that his contact gave him as a ‘gift’.

Naruto didn’t even blink when a bipedal tiger with a mop of silvery hair lunged out for his head. He substituted with a random object, watching as the transformed Mizuki crashed against the table. Mizuki growled, his eyes red with berserk energy, “You are dead!”

Naruto grinned, his blue eyes glowing with a crimson gleam that managed to send a shiver of terror down Mizuki’s tiger spine, “Oh? Let’s see if I will,”

The battle was a mess as walls were destroyed and tables were crushed. Chairs became firewood and blackboard broke to pieces. Mizuki used his surrounding to escape from the bones that Naruto launched at him. It soon became clear that Naruto have been playing around in class, causing people to dismiss him as a failure. In fact, the more Mizuki clashed with him, the more he understood that Naruto was as good as Uchiha Itachi. Which put him on his back leg.

He need to get away.

“Ashes~ Ashes~ They all fall down~!”

That Tenjin lullaby echoed in the dark.

He wasn’t even trying to hide. It was a ridiculously eerie psychological attack. The calmness as the boy stalked the hallways. The childish humming and singing. The way his bones turned things he stabbed into ashes. None living things corroded and rotted. Living things immediately die.

Long distance? The boy shoots out deadly bones!

Close distance? His clone died from a freaking bite!

He need to get out. He need to survive.

He need to inform Orochimaru of this stupidly deadly Kekkei Genkai!

“People can be so blind. Who do you think I look like?”

“Who do you think I look like?”

“I look like?”

Mizuki’s eyes widened, “Fuck!”

His son?!

The son that was rumored to have disappeared when he was under a coma?!

The son that Shimura Danzo had apparently kidnapped?!

He cursed, “That Yondaime…he’s a cold hearted bastard under all that smiles,”

With swift hand signs, he activated the explosive tags and blew the school. But he didn’t expect for the explosions to be stronger than planned. While he was thrown into the field, the ground quaked and broke. The passage he had taken a year to dig collapsed on itself. His eyes widened as Naruto appeared under the moonlight, calm as the moon while the world around him broke apart and collapsed. Like an apparition, he walked towards Mizuki with a smile that looked wrong. Survival instinct kicking in, Mizuki rolled onto his feet and took off into the nearby forest with only adrenaline numbing his injuries. But…

He shouldn’t have turned his back on a danger like Naruto.

“Rookie mistake,”

His eyes widened as a bone that flew over his shoulder practically summoned the devil in front of him.

Freaking Hiraishin too?!

But his vision flew, upside down and then skyward.

Then…black.

Fast forward to Naruto sitting in Minato’s office, sipping on a warm hot chocolate and wide eyed as Hinata petted his head, calling him a good boy for the trouble, Minato accepted his clear report of the incident. He then sighed, “You added to the explosive tags, didn’t you?”

Naruto leaned into Hinata’s petting hand, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,”

Chapter Text

They still graduated on time thanks to a Shinobi that could build buildings in moments. Though of course it was only temporary. Other than the graduating students, every other students have the day off. Naruto stared at the ANBU who was still blacked out behind a tree being attended to by his fellow ANBU. He didn’t expect to meet the ROOT agent that got away and was behind the revelation of Danzo’s illegal operation. Should he consider the man his senior?

He handed the man a candy when he finally came around, “I guess I should call you Senpai or something. Here. Hinata’s special. She only made this for me and the Yondaime. So enjoy~!”

The man accepted the candy with a confused awe, “Oh…thank you,”

Naruto hummed as he skipped away from the man. He joined Hinata as they waited for the teachers to bring out the exam papers. The other students looked at him with suspicion. A few grumbled about the tent lacking fan to cool down the heat of Hi.

Hinata tugged at her kimono, “Aniue. When will you stop stealing my kimono?”

Naruto smiled at her, “Why? I look good in them,”

Hinata huffed, “You are not even wearing them properly,”

Naruto stretched his arms and curl one behind her as he leaned close, “What? You want me to look like a pretty princess like you?”

She blushed, “No. That’s not what I’m saying,”

Naruto hummed before saying, “I only took one kimono from your many sets,”

She looked at the kimono with blocks of purple and orange pattern, white lilies embroidered all over it. She didn’t know why he was so obsessed with this one kimono. Only that she thought that he should take his graduation more seriously. But Naruto being Naruto didn’t care for appearances.

“Hinata,”

She looked to her other side. Another one who liked bringing her headaches with him. Look, the other girls were already glaring at her. But she pushed aside her annoyance and smiled, “Yes, Sasuke?”

He tapped his legs nervously, “Are you nervous?”

She hummed, twiddling her thumbs on her lap, “A little,”

Naruto chuckled, “You’ll do fine. I am sure that you will beat that shrimp this time,”

Sakura glared at him. Ever since she snapped during one of his joking session in class and called him a waste of space orphan and the Hokage’s talentless shame, he have been calling her unflattering nicknames. Needless to say, their dislike of the other was mutual. So seeing her glaring at him, he stuck out his tongue at her. She shook a small fistat him and stuck out her tongue back in return before turning her nose up with a huff.

Hinata pinched his cheek, “Aniue,”

Naruto pouted, “She started it first,”

Sasuke tried to talk to Hinata, “Say, do you want to review for the exam?”

Hinata looked at him, “That sounds interesting,”

Sakura jumped in, “Sasuke-kun~! I can help you there too. I am the Top Kunoichi candidate of our year~!”

Hinata giggled and stepped back, “I think it is best if you let Sakura help you, Sasuke. She is smarter,”

Sasuke looked constipated by her suggestion as well as betrayed. Naruto wondered if the silly boy actually thought that Hinata will waste her time on him? Not to mention, there were so many annoyances around him. He swear, every time he looked away, one of them will try to cause inconvenience to Hinata. It was like balding that one girl wasn’t warning enough. Too bad Hinata forbid him from balding more girls after that one Akemichi. Citing that what he did was just excessive and cruel. How a girl’s hair was her most important crown. How would he feel if something similar happened to her?

Joke on her. The bastard that dare to hurt her will need to pre-order an urn.

Also, how else was he supposed to make an example on not messing with Hinata?

Though so far, there were still a few brain dead idiots that kept trying to mess with her. At this point, he was seriously considering sending Sasuke to T & I to have them investigate why he attract girls like a magnet and why do they act like animals infected with rabies when it came to him. It was just not normal, this level of aggressiveness that they showed to someone who Sasuke had to chase to talk with.

When the class finally opened for academic exam, Hinata tugged at Naruto. Once she have his attention, she pleaded, “Please don’t be a Dead Last, Aniue,”

Seeing that expression on her face, he swear that if she ask him to bomb Konoha, he won’t be able to say ‘No’.

He grinned, “Okay!”

She bit her lip, anxious, “Promise me?”

He patted her head, “Since my Hinata asked me, I can’t disappoint her, can I?”

“Oh, now you want to go all in. What a show off,”

He ignored the fox in his guts and focused on the geography exam. He had spent most of his time studying Fuuinjutsu and geography. Danzo was sly when it came to his education. He showed Naruto swatches of maps. Never anything complete or connected. So before leaving ROOT, his knowledge on geography was akin to a torn up picture. Like disconnected puzzle pieces of the bigger picture. But now that he already memorized the map, endlessly amusing Minato as he kept staring at the world map in the man’s office while Hinata studied normal things, trying to connect what he learned in ROOT and the reality of the world map, he was no longer confused or unable to navigate the four cardinal directions. This would have certainly made finding Konoha easier had he known how to navigate or read map 3 years ago.

Everything else was standard questions. He hated mathematical equation or physic equation for the trajectory of kunai but he was more visual than numerical. So he took his time imagining the situation. Knowing how to calculate the speed and trajectory of the kunai or shuriken, taking in the wind speed and wind direction, would certainly make sniping idiots easier. But who would have the time to fully calculate all that unless they were setting up traps? Well, now he decided to answer these stupid questions like he was setting up trap.

If he doodled some ideas for the teachers to look over, it was because he thinks that they weren’t being creative enough. They should thank him for sharing ideas. Pranks were just baby traps after all.

The science and chemistry part was easy. Especially considering that he have a very up close and personal experience with most of the ingredients. The mad scientist ROOT agent was all too eager to explain what was what and what will do what to him. He will also perversely praise Naruto’s Jinchuuriki’s constitution for being so robust and hardy. So naturally biology was a breeze for Naruto who had seen the inside of people during torture training. Even more when he did it to them while they were still alive and not lobotomized.

The look of pure fury on Minato’s face when Naruto casually helped Hinata with her biology or chemistry homework while also explaining how it would react to him as he recall it was certainly a view. He do wonder if that was the face Minato’s enemies saw before they die?

Though Hinata giving him a lap pillow after every session was something that Naruto would sell someone else’s soul to the Shinigami for.

So soft~

“Oi! Exam! Focus!”

Cipher decoding. Easy peasy. He knew more than just Konoha’s codes.

History. Boring. Danzo preached about Senju Tobirama to the point that Naruto can dream about the man like a TV series. The only other guy he ever gush about was the Shodaime but he thought that the man was too naive.Still, Minato made him brush up on everything else. But if he wrote an essay that praised the Nidaime like a ROOT cult member for the most admired Hokage, he will be blaming Danzo for that. Though he supposed seeing Minato pout for not writing about him as the most admired Hokage as his son should be fun to tease.

And finally, after going through the most boring parts of the graduation exam, he was finally released from the class. He looked at Hinata whose lips were pursed into a straight line from stress, eyes feverish with focus.

Cute.

He poked at her puffy cheek, “Hi~nata!”

Hinata blinked, “Poof! D-don’t do that, Aniue!”

Naruto grinned at her, “Oh, come on. You’re a smart girl. What are you worried about?”

Hinata sighed, “Ninjutsu is the last exam,”

Naruto nodded, “And?”

She pursed her lips, “I can only do obstacle course and Taijutsu,”

Naruto hummed, “And you’re good with both,” He then tugged at her hand, “Come on! It’s lunch break and I’m hungry! Last one to the stall is a rotten egg!”

Hinata giggled as he dragged her along, “But you are pulling me!”

He shouted back, “I’m not talking about you! We are a unit! I’m talking about that tail behind you!”

Hinata turned to see Sasuke gawking in shock before shouting, “Wait up!”

Behind him, Ino and Sakura gave chase at the sound of his voice, “Sasuke-kun~!”

Hinata scolded him, “Look at what you’ve done, Aniue!”

Since she was slower than him, he stopped and picked her up in a princess carry. Leaping onto the roofs, he raced while Sasuke shouted “unfair” below while being chased by his hoard of fangirls. And while Naruto was cackling “sucker” at the Uchiha being hounded by hormone driven girls, Hinata was having a personal problem.

Her heart was racing by Naruto’s action.

She did her best to control her reaction, reminding herself over and over that this was her Aniue that her heart was misbehaving for. She shouldn’t! She shouldn’t be blushing around him or have her heart racing because of him! Adopted or not, behaving like a smitten maiden towards one’s brother was taboo!

Naruto landed in front of a familiar stall. He looked at the people already sitting there and snorted at the white coat with crimson flame licking up the hem. Putting Hinata down, he sat beside Minato who was blowing at his ramen noodle before slurping it up. He glanced at his son and daughter, nodding a little in acknowledgment but otherwise occupied with eating.

Hinata mumbled, “I’m sorry,”

Minato shook his head, “It’s alright. You’ll be busy working in the Hokage Tower after this as a Genin so I won’t expect you to cook everyday. Beside, I miss Ichiraku,”

The chef and owner, Teuchi, laughed, “Good to hear that from our esteemed Hokage!”

Naruto studied what Minato was eating before looking at what Hinata ordered. After a moment, he chose what Hinata ordered. Minato smiled to himself. Naruto might act like he was being more independent but he still relied on Hinata’s choices to decide on things.

Clearing his throat, “How was the papers?”

Hinata sighed, “I hope I get everything right,”

Minato reached over and patted her head, “I’m don’t expect you to be the best because you are already my pride and joy, Hinata,”

Hinata blushed at his praise and the gentle hand on her head, “Thank you, Father. I just want to make you proud and not bring shame to our family,”

Minato chuckled at her Hyuuga reply, “You will never bring me shame. Right, Naruto?”

Naruto looked like he was going to bite Minato’s hand so the man pulled his hand away. He knew what those teeth can really do from the few time he had his clones grapple with the boy. Only then did the boy say, “The Yondaime is right, Hinata. You’re already awesome so don’t stress over it, okay?”

“Order up!”

Hinata smiled, “Thank you for the meal!”

Naruto parroted her before slurping up his noodles without even blowing it. Minato sat there, enjoying the presence of family. Sometimes, during moments like this, he swear he can hear Kushina’s giggle and her touch on his shoulder. But when he look to his side where she always sat or stood, there was no one. He then looked behind to see Uchiha Shisui screaming and running while carrying Sasuke under his arm with a stampede of teenage girls behind him.

He was so lucky that he had Kushina to put the fear of the Uzumaki in his fangirls.

He looked back to his kids, “After lunch is the physical exams. I am sure you will do fine, both of you,”

Hinata’s expression fell and Naruto glared up at him. The girl sighed, “I can’t do Ninjutsu though,”

Minato patted Naruto’s head and he swore that the boy growled at him but ignored Naruto to say, “You are doing what you can and you are doing in remarkably. That is the most important thing, Hinata. That you gave it everything you have instead of just breezing through. Like a certain someone,”

Naruto snorted, “You mean Shikamaru?”

Minato chuckled, “Just because he kept beating you in Shogi doesn’t mean you should target your jealousy on him, Naruto,”

Naruto puffed his cheeks, “I’m not jealous,”

Deep thinking strategy game was apparently his weakness. Who knew?

Lunch break was finally over and though Minato wished he could personally attend to see to their graduation exam, he know he couldn’t. Just like every other parents, he could not be there. He needed to be fair. So he patted Hinata’s head and ruffled Naruto’s hair before bidding them good luck.

At least no one will be kidnapped on this day.

As he walked back to stretch out his break hour, he whistled, “I hope that the guard dogs will suffice or Naruto might think that their trainer is incompetent,”

Naruto sat beside Hinata as they watched the other students trickled in. He smirked at a tired Sasuke stuffing his face with onigiri hungrily. As much as Sasuke’s fangirls annoyed him with their attempts to mess with Hinata’s things, they can be useful. It won’t be the first time he manipulated them to chase Sasuke and occupy his free time from getting close and cozy with Hinata.

Hinata sighed, “I wish that you would stop bullying him, Aniue. You know that I’m not interested in him,”

Naruto shivered, a smile twitching on his lips as Hinata called out on him. He liked it whenever she hinted to know more that he pretended to be. But for the sake of keeping up an image, he played pretend, “What are you talking about, Hinata? I did nothing wrong?”

Hinata gave him an unimpressed look.

He suppressed a shiver as her knowing gaze.

She was so much cooler than any other girls. Each time she hinted that she knew what he was doing, it made his heart tremble. He didn’t know what it was but only that he felt seen. Even if she was just a normal Hyuuga with subpar Byakugan, Naruto have a feeling that she will always make him feel seen.

Hinata poked at his cheek before tracing one line of his whiskers, “Why do you always make this weird face whenever I say something true?”

Naruto didn’t know what expression he was making and he was all too willing to allow himself be distracted by her soft finger touching the raised skin of his whiskers. They felt like moles, was what Hinata said when she first felt them after asking for his permission. No one ever really touch him with so much care and gentleness before Hinata. And ‘kindness’ in ROOT was to be exploited or just another form of manipulation.

Naruto have always been good at picking up bad intention. He was likely wired to sense it. Probably another ‘gift’ from the fox. After all, better to be inside a vessel that despised him than a vessel that was a mindless puppet to be exploited by whomever hold his leash. At least with Naruto and by protecting Naruto, he was somewhat free of full exploitation.

At least that was what he said when Naruto asked him why he helped.

The first physical exam was Bukijutsu. Hinata breezed through that and for once, Naruto showed care in tossing his projectiles. Instead of playing around, he aimed for every fatal spot on the dummy before nailing it right between the brows. Full mark. No miss even with moving targets.

He ignored the shocked murmurs of his classmates as he returned to Hinata’s side.

Next one was obstacle course. Hinata made it through with a bit of difficulty. Shinobi children, despite not knowing chakra control as the class only taught them chakra circulation, could instinctually stick to surfaces though not for long. So if a surface was slippery, Hinata would fall faster than a Shinobi that can use chakra. Still, she made it through with hardly any mistake.

Naruto blitzed through the obstacle without breaking a sweat.

Literal child’s play.

Taijutsu exam was fun. He get to watch kids beat each other up in hope of getting a slab of metal stitched to a strip of cloth. Most of the clans’ children showed more promise than those from civilian families. Well, those from Shinobi family normally have someone willing to spar with them. But those from civilian families either have no one to spar with or busy with helping the family business, leaving no time for personal training. Which was why Sakura was a favorite since despite being a civilian, she was leaps ahead of her fellow civilian recruits.

Still, her Taijutsu was sloppy. Not because she didn’t train in it but because she didn’t have anyone to spar with and her civilian habit of dieting made her hit weak as well as diminished her stamina fast. In the end, Ino won the spar and gave Sasuke a flying kiss with a wink. Not that Ino was any better but her father certainly forced her to eat more and spar more.

Watching Hinata kick people’s ass would always make him restless. There was just something about her movements, graceful yet sharp, that made his back tingle and his legs restless.

Genjutsu. He hated Genjutsu. Not only because he can’t cast any to save his sorry ass but also because it took him forever to realize he was in one. Though he quickly learned to ripple his chakra every other minute subconsciously so as not to be taken by surprise. He have had enough of that back at the underground facility. Was it overkill to ripple it every few minutes? Maybe. Was it worth it? Well, it kept those stupid cursed seals off of him so it was a price he didn’t mind paying.

Hinata did well against the Genjutsu being cast on her. However, she was exempt from casting one of her own.

Finally, the exam that Hinata dreaded the most; Ninjutsu.

She was politely dismissed and though there was a polite smile on her face, Naruto didn’t miss the way her hands gripped tightly with white knuckles or the stiffness on the edge of her lovely smile. He also didn’t miss the gloomy expression around her eyes. So as she sat next to him, he tugged her closer until she was leaning against him. He sat there as she quietly wept frustrated tears against his neck. As if his neck and hair, as well as her own hair, was a curtain that brought her privacy from the rest of the world. All so she squeeze out the bitterness at her disability through tears.

When he heard someone making fun of her inability to cast Ninjutsu, he used a pebble to shut them up by shooting it at their throat with his thumb. He watched as the idiot coughed. When they frowned at him, he glared back at them with a hint of killing intent. Not much. Just enough to tell them that they were walking on thin ice. In the end, the fools looked away and changed topic with a pale face.

“Thank you…Aniue,”

Naruto smiled, “I’m to protect you, remember? Insulting you is the same as insulting me,” After a moment, he added, “Insulting you is also insulting the Yondaime. I mean, he chose you and cherished you,”

Hinata smiled against his neck and he felt his cheeks warming at the feeling of her lips so close to his pulse. But he couldn’t enjoy the sensation or figure out what he was feeling for long as his name was soon called after Sasuke. He was reluctant but when Hinata lifted her face and whispered “good luck” to him, he answered the call for his evaluation.

Needless to say, he made it and nothing exploded and nobody was traumatized.

Hinata’s happy cheer and head pats made the boring evaluation worth it.

Chapter Text

“Do I have to?”

Minato nodded, looking at the photo taken of Naruto, “Yes. We need a record of you as Genin. And you need to go through the official channel to become Chuunin. Only once you’re Chuunin can you stick around Hinata 24/7 all year round as her personal bodyguard. So in the meantime I will put you under a Genin squad,”

He should have more pictures taken of Naruto. He already missed so much of his son.

Naruto swings his legs as he sat on Minato’s table, looking out the wide floor to ceiling glass window behind the man. One would think that Minato was leaving a giant ‘shoot me’ opening for others but Naruto took note of the triple layers of glass and the seals on the four corners, keeping up an invisible barrier that made the window nigh impenetrable. He looked up, taking note of the ceiling boards and where ANBU would sneak in to report. He then stared at the portraits of Hokage above Minato’s table. He knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen was still alive and had seen his grandson around. He never met the man personally though.

He asked, “What about Hinata?”

Minato answered, “She will help me with administrative work. I will still send her out with you during Genin mission for D-ranks. But anything above that and taken out of the village, she will stay with me,”

Naruto hummed, “She’s not going to be happy,”

Minato smiled, “Even so. She still gets to be a Kunoichi and help me on more than just meetings with my accountants and the Daimyo. Without a Shinobi license, her aid is limited. I will keep her in the village for the duration of you being a Genin,” He looked at the boy, “So hurry up and rise in rank, Naruto,”

Naruto scowled before asking, “So? Who is the sorry bastard you saddling me with?”

Said sorry bastard was late for the first day. Naruto wasn’t surprised as he sat between Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke was unhappy with him for snatching Rookie of the Year from his grasp while Sakura was unhappy that he lied to her about his skills. In his defense, a good Shinobi would never show their hands unless necessary. Expecting him to play Shinobi when he already shed blood and commit genocide was plain stupid.

He sighed, “I wonder what Hinata is doing today?”

She had packed him a big box of lunch but he already finished that. She then followed Minato to his office. Minato had mentioned something about helping him with keeping tracks of documents. She would act as his personal assistant. Perhaps one day filling up the empty secretary spot that Shikaku have been filling in. Minato had left the spot empty after several attempts at seduction which tested his patience.

Sasuke asked, “Where is she, anyway?”

Naruto hummed, “With the Yondaime, duh. She’s not an ordinary Kunoichi,”

Sakura scowled, “Is that so?”

Even though Hinata couldn’t test for Ninjutsu, because of her prowess in the other parts of physical exams and her efforts in the academic exams, Sakura had been unceremoniously kicked off her pedestal as the Top Kunoichi by a few points difference. She had sat on her laurel in academics and her Taijutsu had grown sloppier from extra dieting along with the other more stamina demanding parts of the physical exams, allowing Hinata to break past the bottleneck that she had been constricting for the past years. She probably thought that she had it in the bag…only for Hinata to blitz by her by a few extra points in Taijutsu. So like Sasuke, she was pissed at Hinata for stealing her spot.

Who told her to settle?

Sasuke looked out the window before asking, “Her name’s not on the list…like, at all,”

Naruto nodded, “She’ll join us now and then. But today she will officially introduce herself at the office,” Not that the people at the tower didn’t know her. But previously, she had only helped Minato in a very limited capacity. So reintroducing herself as a Shinobi with access to previously banned documents was just a formality. Still, he scowled, “Damn dog is fucking late,”

Sakura looked at him, “You know our Sensei?”

Naruto drew in a deep breath, before slowly letting it out and looking at her, “Tell me, shrimp. Did you throw out all your text books along with most of your brain the moment you graduate? Because that is one dumb question you just asked me,”

Sakura scowled at him, “You don’t have to be mean,”

Naruto mimicked her, “You don’t have to be mean,”

Sakura flushed red before huffing, “Whatever,” She then smiled sickeningly sweet at Sasuke, “How about you, Sasuke? Do you know our Sensei?”

Sasuke frowned in confusion, “He was in our history book. For the 3^rd Shinobi War chapter?” At her blank look, he wondered if Naruto was justified in questioning her intelligence before sighing, “Hatake Kakashi is the student of the Yondaime. He was in charge of the Kannabi Bridge mission, remember?”

Sakura blushed, “Oh. Y-yeah! I remember!”

He squinted his eyes at her in suspicion, “He’s also known as Kakashi of the Sharingan. He have some…complicated relation with my clan,”

Sakura said, “Sharingan is your clan’s Kekkei Genkai, right? What does it do, exactly?”

Naruto snorted, “They put you to sleep,”

She glared at him before looking back at Sasuke with expectant look. The Uchiha sighed, “Something like that. It makes putting people under Genjutsu is easier but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. And before you ask, no, I don’t have it. Not every Uchiha get to awaken their Sharingan,”

She blinked, “You mean…you don’t get them from birth like the Hyuuga’s Byakugan?”

Sasuke nodded, “Exactly. It is also why we are not as stuck up as the Hyuuga about our Dojutsu. Still, cursing fellow family members to serve like a slave is a bit much for tradition,” He sniffed, “At least we Uchiha are more humane than them,”

Naruto stood up, “That damn old dog is here,”

He looked at the door as it opened, the seal over the door activated and rainbow glitters fell on top of a tall, white hair that only add to the height of the tall man whose head it grew out of. Hatake Kakashi blinked his one eye and looked up to see the one use seal burning away, leaving no evidence behind. He sighed and looked at the trio inside, “Well…you three are…unimpressive,” He turned away, “Meet me on the roof,”

Sakura glared at Naruto, “Why would you do that?! Now he thinks we’re stupid!”

Naruto snorted, “For someone who graduated the Academy at age 5, you are stupid,”

Sasuke blinked, “What? Even Nii-san graduated at age 7!”

Naruto shrugged, “Like I said, nothing we do will impress the Hatake Kakashi,”

They soon found the man reading a green book while leaning against the railing. Naruto took a sit on the bench across the man and studied his father’s only living student. Kakashi was tall and he recalled everything that Danzo made him memorize about Shinobi listed in the Bingo Book. Ironically, he have never met the man prior to that day. Then again, Kakashi was in ANBU. He wondered if Minato released the man just so he could ‘train’ Naruto. Or maybe it was an attempt to get them to know each other.

Two broken people meeting each other to play nice?

Hilarious.

Once the others joined him on the bench, Kakashi closed his green book of smut, because Naruto knew what that was, and looked at them fully with a dull dark eye. He gave them a parody of a smile, his only eye curving upward as he said, “Well, look at what the Academy produced. I must say, I am…unimpressed. The lot of you look dumb. Cute. But dumb,”

Naruto suddenly understood why Minato decided to take Hinata with him. Had Hinata been there and Kakashi insulted her, he might need an urn for his only student.

Naruto grinned, “At least I don’t wear gay flag on my head,”

Under the sun, the rainbow glitters really do sparkle like a homosexual crown.

Kakashi looked at him and Naruto smiled sweetly back. Kakashi then looked away and said, “Where were we? Right! Introduction! What do you got?”

Sakura cleared her throat, “Can you…give us an example, Sensei?”

It seemed like she will try to play the good girl in front of Kakashi and to counter Naruto’s blatant disrespect. Kakashi nodded and hummed, “Well…give me your likes, dislikes, hobby, and dream for your future?”

Sakura raised her hand, “I’ll start! I…I like…” She glanced at Sasuke and blushed before continuing, “My hobby is…” Another glance and more blushing and giggling, “My dream for the future is…” Louder giggling before she took a 180 and glared at the other boy, “I hate Naruto. He’s liar!”

Kakashi mentally put her in the ‘hopeless fangirl’ box. He then turned to Sasuke, hoping for something more coherent, “Crow ass?”

Sasuke’s brow twitched at the familiar insult to his hair style and said, “I like my brother. I dislike sweets. My hobby is training. My dream for the future is to be my brother’s right hand man for clan matters,”

Kakashi nodded. Finally, a normal answer. Now back to the uncanny, “And you?”

Naruto hummed, “I like cinnamon rolls,”

Kakashi stared.

Naruto took note of a cloud that looked like a narutomaki.

Kakashi sighed, “Anything else?”

Naruto smiled at him, “Is there anything else?”

Kakashi sighed, “…right…”

After that he informed them of the ‘twist’ about their graduation. As expected, Sasuke looked determined and Sakura looked constipated. Kakashi looked at Naruto but the boy was already standing up and stretching with hardly a care to give. He then gave Kakashi a two fingers salute before leaving without waiting for Kakashi to dismiss. Kakashi let him do as he pleased. This wasn’t the time and place. Beside, they weren’t officially a squad yet so disciplining Naruto for the disrespect would be pointless.

He left the other two to do their own things and wondered why Minato didn’t call him back from black-ops missing when found Naruto. Then again, after looking at the boy, Kakashi thought that he was in a worse shape than Tenzo when he first came across the brat. But unlike Tenzo, who was pure, Naruto was twisted. The look in his gaze despite the expressions he made was flat and cold. Calculative.

Broken children.

At least he wasn’t hell bent on revenge. But then again, that was done and dusted, if what Minato told him was the truth. Naruto’s ability allowed him to kill easier than most. But even so, he took his time studying his opponent before making his move. Just like then, Kakashi can tell that Naruto was studying him. Weighing his own chance against Kakashi in an outright battle.

His ridiculous Kekkei Genkai was definitely a boon.

But just as the Shodaime can be killed with the right strategy, so does overpowered Kekkei Genkai can be planned around and countered.

The only downside to the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya Clan was that prolonged usage of their bones could lead to health complication and hardening of the body. And from using their bones to fight, infection could settle in and further deteriorate their health with repeated self inflicted injuries. However, with Naruto, that downside was eradicated by the simple reason that he was a Jinchuuriki with regenerative chakra. Unlike the Kaguya Clan whose body will be riddled with numerous open injuries from pulling their bones out of them, Naruto’s injuries heal as soon as he made them. And the boy was smart enough to discard bones that had left his body instead of retracting them back inside, eliminating the chance for infection. And unlike the Kaguya Clan, he regenerative chakra allowed him to regrow his bones moments after he took them out.

“How troublesome,”

Where the hell did this Kekkei Genkai even came from?

He understood that the deadly mutation was possibly due to the Kyuubi but the fact that Naruto even have the Kekkei Genkai in the first place was baffling. Then again, Minato suspected that someone in either his or Kushina’s side had married a Kaguya in the past. It was a very real possibility. Genetic was weird like that after all. After all, Minato’s name sounded like he came from the sea so the possibility that his unknown parents were refugees from Mizu was also high.

But none of that matter because at this moment, Kakashi just remembered that his hair was like a gay banner with how the rainbow micro glitters sparkled all over him as he stood under the light of Minato’s office. Asuma took one look at him and asked, “Finally decided to come out?”

Kakashi sighed, “I’m…I’m not gay,”

Kurenai chuckled, “I don’t know, Kakashi. Rainbow suit you,”

Minato chuckled before asking, “So?”

Kakashi hummed, “What the fuck is wrong with your son?”

The others looked surprised by that question. From the way they looked at each other, he realized that Naruto being Minato’s son have yet to be revealed. He mentally cursed as Minato sighed, “I’ll deduct some money from your mission pay. That was pathetic, Kakashi. I can’t believe that you notice who he was but not the lack of knowledge of the people around him,” Minato frowned, “It isn’t good to be too lost in your head,”

Kakashi bowed at the waist, “Apologies, Lord Yondaime!”

Minato shook his head, “Be more aware of your surrounding outside mission. You used to have more tact than this,” He looked at the others, “Not a word or a gossip about Naruto. I prefer that his connection to me comes out slowly and naturally instead of through hearsay. Anyone who was caught gossiping about him will have to pay a fine and a visit to Ibiki. He could use more subjects for his playtime with Naruto,”

Kakashi then asked, “What about Lady Hinata?”

Minato hummed, “I am allowing her to do inside village missions. But she will have to sit out when you take outside village missions,”

Kurenai frowned, “Lord Hokage, if you don’t mind, could you let me work with her? Knowing Kakashi and how boisterous the children under him can be, they will ask for a more active mission sooner rather than later,”

Minato shook his head, “I understand your concern but Hinata is in a complicated spot where she needed a Shinobi license but not in the best shape to do missions that require Ninjutsu. Also, Naruto don’t like you. Chances of him kidnapping Hinata to join his team is high and I’d rather not deal with that sort of disruption,” He then added, “Also, you have Kurama Yakumo to focus on. Let me handle Hinata’s mission and ranking,”

Kurenai pursed her lips. She was well aware that Naruto’s dislike of her came from her drinking habit and the one time where Hinata was taken when she was supposed to be guarding her. In another word, alert if not near her. Granted that the Hokage was also at fault for allowing Hinata to her he decompressing time, but he was at least excusable due to demanding Daimyo and nobles taking his time until very late. She was the one that was supposed to be guarding Hinata. She sighed bowed, “Yes, Lord Hokage,”

Minato waved his hand, “Dismissed,”

But while the others leave, Kakashi stayed back. Minato put aside the scrolls about new Genin squads aside to look at Kakashi, “Yes?”

Kakashi asked, “What is wrong with him?”

Minato sighed, “Strategic brain surgery,”

Kakashi blinked, “What?”

Minato leaned back on his chair, “He’s not crazy. Wasn’t born crazy, actually. But someone in ROOT thought that hollowing emotion out of their agents can be done with directly manipulating the brain instead of emotionally manipulating them and traumatizing them into not making any bond. The doctors already showed scans of old scarring on Naruto’s brain. He’s not good at regulating his emotions due to this,”

Kakashi hummed, “Like…how? In what way is he bad at regulating his emotion? Is he…bipolar? Psychopathic or sociopathic?”

Minato snapped his fingers, “Sociopathic. Not at the level of some of our enemies. Not at the level of Danzo. Rather…he can feel emotions. Strong ones. But selective. Right now, he’s hyper focused on Hinata. Completely locked onto her. How he deal with it was the problem. The only bond that he considered important is the one he have with her and partially extending that to me because I am the only way he can stay close to her. I don’t have a problem with this. But if she is mistreated, that’s when the problem comes in. I do not want to wake up and find Konoha in rubble and ashes,”

Kakashi nodded, “His Kekkei Genkai?”

Minato hummed, “Kyuubi. I tried asking him to be more precise but the Kyuubi is stubborn and not very forthcoming with the sort of things he knew,”

Kakashi shifted, “Why is he locked onto Hinata?”

Minato smiled, “Because he can get something he never knew from her. She is warmth and kindness without any term or condition attached to her. I am also hoping that by allowing him to stick close to her, he can start healing and be better than what Danzo made of him. He might kill here and there when it comes to her. Hell, he set kids on fire for trying to bully her. After he threatened them by holding them outside a third or fourth floor window by the ankle, telling them to apologize to her during the first year. The setting people on fire started in his second year at the Academy. Third year and people figured that messing with Hinata is just not worth it. That one Hyuuga kid is never going to look at the kitchen the same way after he set him on fire,”

Kakashi frowned, “She’s a symbol,”

Minato nodded, “A symbol of innocence and all things good. But at the same time, Hinata’s perceptiveness around him made him exposed before her. Normally sociopaths tended to hide who they really are. He can’t do that with Hinata. Instead of retaliating, he actually find comfort in that he can’t lie to her. This shows that in a way, deep down inside, he wanted to be better. Normal. He just didn’t know how,” He chuckled, “So he watched her, figuring that everything she does must be the right choice,”

Kakashi sighed, “And his bond with other kids? His teammates?”

Minato frowned, “Don’t be surprised if he use them for meat shield,”

Kakashi winced with a hiss, “Sensei, I…how do I say this? He’s not one for the team, is he?”

Minato nodded, “But he need to learn to work with others,”

Kakashi grumbled, “So why did you choose two kids who are volatile towards him? Sakura already outright said that she disliked him. Sasuke seemed to be on the fence-,”

Minato chuckled, “Sasuke likes Hinata and it rubs Naruto wrong,”

Kakashi stared at him before saying, “You hate me, don’t you? Otherwise, why are you throwing me into a vat of piranhas solution? I can’t see anything good coming from this combination. If you want me to die so badly, just slice my artery and be done with it,”

Minato laughed, “Don’t be so dramatic, Kakashi. Beside, those two can entertain him and keep him on his toes. Trust me, having him react to others will elevate his boredom. And you know how I and Kushina are like when it comes to boredom. Now combine that into one unstable kid,”

Kakashi turned pale, “Did he blew up the school because he was bored?”

Minato shrugged, “Partially. He hated the place. The other reason was to bury the illegal underground passage,” He then added with a too cheerful smile, “Though he did bring down ROOT and kill Danzo because Danzo is a ‘boring old hypocrite’ that won’t let him go outside,”

Kakashi stared at Minato.

Minato beamed back at him.

“You hate me,”

“Don’t be such a drama queen,”

Chapter Text

Sakura glared at Naruto as the boy lazily strolled into the designated training ground for their team, hand in hand with Hinata who sighed in apology at her and Sasuke. Worse, he was eating.

Sakura scowled, “Kakashi-sensei said not to eat!”

Naruto shrugged, “Only an idiot would worry about vomiting during a fight instead of being caught dizzy with hunger,” He smiled at he pulled Hinata into a side hug, “I’m so glad that Hinata took that Top Kunoichi title from you~!”

Sakura felt like she was going to combust with the fury that bubbled in her chest. Sasuke guiltily looked away from her as her stomach was the only one to growl.

Hinata handed her a sandwich, much to Naruto’s displeasure, and said, “You should not skip dinner or breakfast if you can help it. Food is required to fuel your stamina,”

Sakura looked at the offered sandwich like it was going to come alive and eat her instead. But when Naruto reached for the sandwich, she quickly snatched it out Hinata’s hand and thanked the girl. She then paused before stuffing her face with her breakfast to look at Sasuke.

The boy quickly waved his hand, “I’ve eaten. Nii-san won’t let me leave without eating breakfast,”

Sakura frowned, “But Kakashi-sensei said-,”

Naruto sighed, “If you just follow order brainlessly, you’re going to end up becoming a meat shield. Useful. But utterly dumb,”

Sakura glared at him and chowed down on the sandwich like he was part of the ingredient. She watched Hinata as she slowed down, wondering how the adopted daughter of the Hokage could stay sane with someone like Naruto as her brother. There was nothing sane about the liar. Then again, Naruto was never mean with her. If anything, he was ridiculously sweet on her.

She looked at Sasuke who was stealing glances at Hinata. She pouted, hating the fact that Hinata was an honorary teammate of theirs. She can’t wait to take outside missions. She heard that Hinata can’t go outside the village since she can’t use external chakra like them. Sakura still didn’t fully understand the difference because she remembered a senior who was also bad with Ninjutsu. But he was allowed to take missions like a normal Shinobi. What was so special about Hinata, then?

After the sandwich was eaten, Sakura sighed as she looked at the sky. Irked by Sasuke’s open staring of Hinata. Worse, Hinata treated him like he was just any other guy. What was with that? Sasuke was so much more than just another guy! Then again, she lived with the Yondaime. The Yellow Flash of Konoha. Genius of the century. Sasuke was probably just another guy to her.

She can’t wait for this survival test to start!

Sakura took it back. She want the survival test to end!

She crouched behind a tree, cursing, “I can’t believe I got taken out by a Genjutsu,”

She stealthily made her way to where Sasuke was last heard. She should have waited for Hinata to finish speaking before running off. The girl clearly knew something. Either from the Hokage or from her rumored perception. But Sakura was too eager to proof to Sasuke that she was as good as Hinata. She still didn’t understand why he was drawn to Hinata. Sure, the girl was pretty, even if her eyes were creepy like the rest of her clansmen. Maybe he liked someone who wear kimono all the time?

But this time, Hinata wore a kilt hakama around her waist instead of just the kimono. She even tied up her furisode sleeves, though she wore protective opera gloves underneath. She said protective because the material looked like something that the random ANBU wore. She knew that Naruto wore ANBU under armor beneath Hinata’s stolen kimono. From the black turtleneck that peeked out from under her kimono’s collar, Sakura knew that she also wore something similar to Naruto.

Maybe she should revisit her wardrobe and reinvent her fashion style?

She leaned behind a tree as Sasuke battled with Kakashi. She bit her lips to not squeal and cheer for him, no matter how hard it was. He was radiant and so cool as he attacked Kakashi!

“Ew. Stop make bedroom eyes when people are fighting for their life,”

Sakura screeched in terror and turned to see Naruto looking at her like he was looking at shit. Hinata sighed on his back and tugged at his ear, “Aniue. Be nicer. The two of you will be working together until you enter Chuunin Exam and who knows how long that will take,”

Naruto huffed, “Anyway, what are you good for? Sasuke is slowly growing slower the longer he fight Kakashi. His stamina might be better than the rest of kids in his class but that still means nothing before a former ANBU Captain. So hurry up and do something,”

Sakura scowled at him, “What about you? All you did is carry Hinata on your back,”

Naruto snorted, “Hinata can tell that what Kakashi said was a lie. But the two of you are so caught up by the ‘two bells’ scenario that you didn’t even stop to ask her,”

Sakura blinked, “It’s a lie?”

“It still won’t matter if you can’t beat me,”

Sakura screamed and blindly punched behind her. Kakashi, who didn’t expect such a reaction, ended up with a broken nose. Hearing the crunch and seeing the back flip that the man made, cradling his nose, Sakura screamed like a deranged woman who caught her husband cheating and started attacking. Kakashi, having recovered by the unexpected instinctual attack, dealt with every hit with one hand.

Sasuke, who recovered from where he had fallen into the nearby body of water, resumed attacking Kakashi with a crimson face, “I can’t believe you did that!!”

Naruto, who had seen the whole thing while talking to Sakura, wondered what await Kakashi should the tale of him poking Sasuke’s butt hole reach Itachi. As much as every guy in the Academy pegged Sasuke for a bro-con, the sentiment was mutual on his brother’s end. Wait a minute.

Light bulb moment!

He grinned devilishly and called out to Kakashi who had to face two chaos gremlins at once, singing with a childish glee, “I have a blackmail material~!”

Kakashi realized what he was talking about and envisioned a furious family of Uchiha lighting his ass on fire followed by the rest of the clan. He quickly shouted in terror, “No!!”

Naruto whistled, “I mean…all’s fair in love and war right? And right now,” He grinned like a little demon spawn at Kakashi, “We are at war with you~,”

Hinata caught onto what Naruto was saying and said, “Father is very strict about preying on minors,”

Kakashi grew sloppy as he tried to bargain, “I wasn’t-! It wasn’t-! Sensei did it to me too during training!!” He threw Minato back under the carriage, “It was his Jutsu!!”

Hinata hummed, “But who would believe that? Father is such an honorable man and a respected Hokage,”

Shit!!!

Damn Minato and his carefully cultivated reputation!!!

Naruto kept on smiling sadistically, “Another blackmail material~!”

Kakashi can’t believe it! He just handed another material and this one would put him in a complicated position. What he said could be taken as defamation of the Hokage. In the end, for the sake of his mental peace and to make sure that he will survive the next time he saw either Fugaku or Mikoto, he cried, “What do you want?!”

The four demon spawns stretched a hand at him, palms up, “Bells,”

Kakashi slumped, “Well…who do you sacrifice?”

Naruto nonchalantly answered, “I would hand over Sakura to the Shinigami in a heart beat but…Hinata!”

Hinata finished his words, “You just want to see us work together,”

Sakura gawked at Naruto at his casual words, “What did you just-?”

Kakashi clapped his hand with desperation, “Alright! You pass! All of you! Now I have to go! Bye!”

Kakashi breathed hard after the multiple Shunshin from the training ground, his back cold with sweat. Most Genin would be too embarrassed to say anything about the particular butt poke Jutsu. He had done that out of habit, really. But he didn’t think how it would look like for parents to see their children’s rear end being poked by an adult. Worse, Hinata was well versed in politic. She just cornered him with the help of Naruto. After all, no one would believe that Minato was the one to invent the stupid joke Jutsu. Even the other two, who was there, had looked skeptical the moment she reminded them how improbable it was.

Naruto was just a demon in a child’s body.

“Kakashi,”

Kakashi choked as he heard Minato’s voice behind. Creaking, he turned to see the Yondaime smiling that damned demon smile of his and sweated bucket, “Uh…hi, Sensei?”

Minato’s eyes were cold, “I can’t believe that your first instinct was to sell me out,”

Kakashi felt like crying, “Sensei…”

He escaped Naruto and his devilish tricks but Minato was watching all along. He deflated in utter defeat while Minato’s smile suggested some hellish kind of punishment for him for revealing where that joke Jutsu came from. Even if no one believed him, it didn’t matter. He had tried selling the Hokage out.

Damn that brat Naruto.

Also, Hinata was no better. Backing Naruto up like that so naturally.

Kakashi cried, lamenting his fate…

Meanwhile, Hinata looked at the others and invited, “Let us grab something to eat to celebrate our success into becoming Genin,” She smiled politely, “What do you think?”

Sakura opened her mouth but her stomach answered for her. She immediately turned as pink as her hair. Sasuke ignored her and nodded eagerly, “Sure! My mom told me to get closer to everyone,”

Hinata held onto Naruto, making sure that he can’t escape. Not that he will since she will be there too. But she wanted him to create bonds with his teammates because she won’t be around them all the time. She smiled brighter, “Wonderful! Father said that Yakiniku Q have discount for Genin so we should go there! Ah, Father gave me extra allowances for this purpose so don’t worry,”

Naruto slumped, neck rolled up to glare at the sky, “Fine~,”

He just want to spend the rest of the day having Hinata’s lap pillow special and her soft hand patting his head. But Hinata seemed determined to make him socialize. He’ll just have to endure.

Yakiniku Q was a little crowded. They noticed Team 10 almost immediately, with Ino babbling something at an annoyed Shikamaru and a drooling Chouji. Team 8 was also present, a girl that was held back a year standing next to dog breath and hive brain. He didn’t see any of the other teams and suspected that they failed to meet their Jounin’s expectation.

Ino spotted Sasuke and squealed, “Sasuke-kun~!”

Sakura immediately stood in front of him like an angry goal keeper, “Stay away, Ino Pig!”

Ino scowled at her, “You can’t hog him all to yourself, Forehead!”

As they devolved into familiar name calling and argument, Sasuke sighed in silent suffering. He looked at Hinata, “Can we drop her? Please?”

Hinata shook her head, “I’m afraid you can’t,”

He huffed, “I wished they are all as polite and quiet as you,”

The two girls overheard him and fell into an awkward silence. Sakura looked at Ino who understood immediately that Sasuke just accidentally let his preference be known. And so far, neither of them impressed him with their liveliness and their beauty(?).

Sasuke then added, “If they are at least half as strong as you, maybe I won’t mind being on the same team as either of them. But all they did is scream my name and do nothing else,” He grumbled, “It’s really annoying,”

Sakura flushed red in shame and Ino grimaced at the call out. She quietly returned to her team who looked like Sasuke just voiced all their opinions but without the unfortunate of angry teenage girl’s lash back. Someone behind them whistled, “Preach it, brother!”

Hinata felt a pang of sympathy for Sakura whose shoulders have slumped but felt that it was a long time coming. Back in the Academy, there were too many people screaming for Sasuke to voice his opinion. And each time he tried to talk to Hinata was interrupted by the other girls, causing him frustration that he couldn’t voice. So these accumulated injustices must have finally found an exit now that there was no crowd screeching at him or chasing him all over Konoha.

Naruto tugged at her, “It’s our turn now,”

Hinata smiled at the waitress and named the number of people with her. The waitress looked inside and sighed, “I’m sorry, Lady Hinata. We are too crowded. How about grouping together around a single large table?”

Hinata looked at the other team, “So she said,”

Yakumo smiled, “I don’t mind. Guys?”

Her teammates nodded with Kiba being awkwardly tense. Then again, he never liked being anywhere near Naruto. He knew nothing about Naruto but Hinata suspected that his feral instinct can ‘smell’ that Naruto was nothing like the others around him. He had shown similar response to ANBU the last time a squad was introduced to the class and being told what to do or how to behave around one. In fact, whenever Naruto was suspiciously absent, Kiba was livelier and loud. Joking and messing around until Iruka scolded him.

Ino smiled, using her own heiress training to be graceful, “Of course. That sounds like a marvelous idea,”

It was…awkward to see her like that.

Look. Even the others were grimacing with how weird it was to see her act that way.

The group sat at a single long table that was clearly made for a large group. Hinata found herself squeezed beside Naruto near the wall. She looked at him as he stared at the menu. They have gone on barbecues a few times, normally for birthdays. But those were done privately. Still, she blinked as a scent greeted her.

She frowned, “Aniue…”

Naruto hummed, “Hm?”

She glared at him, “Did you use my shampoo again?”

He looked at her, “The Yondaime used your shampoo too,”

No wonder her shampoo always finished fast! She thought that she made it clear the last time she caught them using her shampoo! Naruto aside, because he was weird like that, why was Father in on it?!

She pinched his cheek, pouting, “Stop that. Stop using my shampoo…” She sniffed and blinked, “And stop using my body wash too,”

Naruto pouted, “But your stuff smells better,”

She sighed, “They are expensive. You should get your own,”

He shrugged, “So? The Yondaime paid for everything anyway,” She can’t argue against that. She pouted at him and he sighed, “Okay. I’ll ask him to buy one in a giant bottle. Happy?”

Sasuke hummed, “I’m so glad we all use the same body wash. Well, me, Nii-san, and Father anyway. We know better than touch Mom’s stuff. She will probably put those Tsuchi spices in our food if we did that,” He grimaced, “Last time she did that, I thought that my tongue was going to shrivel up and fall off,”

Shikamaru grimaced along, “Yours too? Damn. Mothers are so troublesome,”

Hinata pursed her lips, “I should threaten the same,”

Naruto grinned, “Anything Hinata made taste great!”

Too bad it won’t work on Naruto! The boy have an iron stomach! If she didn’t cook in time, or the pre-made food in the fridge was finished faster than she can replenish them, he would eat the ingredients raw. She have lost count the amount of time she scolded him about the chance of salmonella and other diseases.

When the waitress put down trays of raw meat, she kept a close eye on Naruto. Just in case.

Ino complained about her Jounin Instructor, “Asuma-sensei is a smoker! He stinks!”

Yakumo giggled, “Kurenai-sensei’s hobby is taste testing new alcohols,”

Sakura sighed, “Kakashi-sensei is weird,”

Kiba pointed, “Surely not weirder that Naruto,” He pouted, “He totally betrayed me. I thought we were in the same boat,”

Naruto smirked, “A real Shinobi is supposed to seem like a nobody. I think I did well,”

Ino fidgeted before saying with naive excitement, “I heard from the older sisters of my clan that once we turned 15, we get to learn seduction techniques,” She giggled, “I can’t wait for the class,” She then looked at Sasuke, “I mean…they hold it for both boys and girls,”

Sakura scrunched her nose, “I don’t think I want to do that kind of missions,”

Yakumo reassured her, “Lord Yondaime made sure that anyone who wants to take such missions to at least be a master of Genjutsu. And even if the class starts at 15, as opposed to immediately after becoming Genin like during the Sandaime’s era, we are not encouraged to take it until much, much older,”

Ino turned to Hinata, “I doubt Hinata can get into that sort of mission,”

Hinata shook her head, “It’ll be too dangerous for me,”

“Damn right, you’re not,” They turned to see a gloomy face Naruto staring at Hinata with a dangerous gleam in his gaze, “Like I’ll let any old pervert kiss you just to kill him,”

Sakura asked, “Wait. So the rumor about Kunoichi’s Kiss is real?”

Naruto snorted, “Kunoichi well versed in seduction are usually honey traps full of poison. Beside, Hinata is the cutest. I knew of several dearly departed perverts that look at her even though she’s a minor,” He looked at the others, “Keep yourself safe out there. Some people thought that modern Kunoichi are like the old world Kunoichi; free sluts,”

Ino grimaced, “Ew. No!”

Naruto laughed at her, “What? Did you think you’re going to seduce high class princes with those seduction missions? I know for a fact that most of the time, it was some stinky, ugly, rich old men who need drugs to get it up,” At their disgusted look, he shrugged, “And it can get really messy. Rape is a very real thing if your Genjutsu failed and the other party can overpower you, especially under influence,”

Yakumo frowned, “Where did you even learn all this?”

Naruto smiled, “I knew some people,”

Shikamaru cleared his throat to disperse the awkward atmosphere, “Can we, like, just eat? At this rate, Chouji will finish everything,”

Hinata coughed, “Shikamaru is right. Besides, such a mission is rarely accepted by ordinary Kunoichi. The ANBU Black-Ops are usually the ones who took on such missions. So I doubt that you will have to worry about those sort of things for a very long time,”

Sakura sighed, “Easy for you to say. I heard that most of the time, civilian born Kunoichi is the one to take it,”

Sasuke frowned, “You don’t have to worry about that. Just make yourself stronger in an area where such a mission is not a concern for you,” He put more meat into her plate, “Eat more. You seriously need to bulk up,”

Sakura blushed at his action, her cheeks red as her heart raced.

Ino pouted angrily beside her but didn’t scream or shout. Not after she learned that Sasuke hated that sort of thing. Instead, she shoved more meat into her mouth after smacking Chouji’s hand away from her meat.

By the time they paid for their meal, the weird mood had shifted to something warmer. All talks about matters far in the future forgotten as they bid each other goodbye for that day. Hinata looked at Naruto. She knew that he made it uncomfortable for the others to stop them from thinking that seduction missions were romantic. She smiled, thinking that the hidden seed inside Naruto was slowly growing into something more.

Chapter Text

Hinata sighed as she walked into the forest, eyes out and focused on that glimmer of light deep in the abyss that was Naruto’s soul. He have been disappearing more and more often during missions. Then again, he was trained for ANBU Black-Ops. Not fixing roof shingles and gardening. Sure, he can do it. Apparently he was taught to be able to melt with the crowd. And no one raise a brow at a janitor or a plumber. However, the thing he was best at was turning people to ashes. Due to this, whenever they received a mission scroll, he would be restless with disinterest. To avoid causing problem due to boredom, he would disappear with just a clone to fill in.

But Hinata can tell when it was his clone. Ironically, his Shadow Clones would be very different from him. Happier and more cooperative. It was due to this that Kakashi never exposed him. But after he did this for every mission in that week in a row, Hinata decided to look for him.

She found him leaning against the tree, eyes watching the way light and shadow play on the ground, the sun passing through the leaves, moving as they dance, choreographed by the invisible wind. She sat next to him and leaned against him. He was quiet but when he lay his head on hers, she knew that he noticed her presence long before she entered his periphery.

After a moment, she asked, “Are you alright, Aniue?”

Naruto grunted, “I’m bored,”

Hinata reached over and held his hand. He turned his palm up and laced his fingers through hers before tightening his hold. Caging her. Hinata hummed, wondering how to help him. The others weren’t ready and they still need to meet the D-rank missions quota before being allowed to take on higher ranked missions. But she was also aware just how close to the edge Naruto was.

She whispered, “Can you hold on?”

Naruto hummed, “Like I have any other choice,”

They sat there for a while, watching the light and shadow of the forest dance on the dirt. But after what felt like forever, Kakashi appeared, “We are done,” He looked at Naruto, “Perhaps you should ask Sensei for a separate mission instead of just hanging around like this. Your clone seemed to be doing just fine,”

Naruto frowned, “My main mission is to keep Hinata safe,”

Kakashi pointed out, “You left her,”

Naruto shook his head, “I didn’t,” He looked at the man, “Did you know? Uzumaki are annoying little shits for the other Shinobi and their only virtue was their lack of interest in becoming more than just sitting on their asses instead of going out and conquer shits. My Kagura no Me is always on Hinata. I never left her,”

An Uzumaki technique that he was trained to awaken. Fortunately for Danzo, Minato was an accomplished and talented sensor. Mixed with Kushina’s own dormant instinct, it was only a matter of forcing Naruto to learn and adapt through life and death. For a clan with no true Kekkei Genkai, the Uzumaki was a mixed box of overpowered tricks that put other Shinobi clans on edge.

Kakashi hummed, “Very well. Find something more suited to your needs instead of just disappearing. The others are more comfortable with your weirdly preppy clone anyway,”

As they made their way back to Minato, Hinata thought that the clone that Naruto made and left behind was really his true personality without the trauma. She liked his clone. He made her laugh without inflicting pain on other people. But at the same time she knew that the version of Naruto showed by the clone wasn’t the real him. Just a version that died in the darkness.

That evening, she sat in the living room doing some relaxing embroidery. Beside her was Naruto, head on her lap as he watched her stabbing the needle through the fabric and pulling on the threads to create something. He had tried to do what she died as a past time that didn’t include blood and gore. But all that happened was a mess that she had to clean up. Yet, despite his inability to create, only destroy, he loved watching her create things. After a moment, she set aside her embroidery to look at him.

His blue eyes, once dull, twitched from watching her hands to watching her face. A light gleamed in them. Hinata hummed a random song, fingers playing with his bangs.

She then asked, “Don’t they get in your eyes?”

Naruto shook his head, “I don’t like my eyes much. I know how people react when they look at me,” He grabbed her hand, “You don’t really like looking at them either,”

Hinata stared at him before saying, “It unnerves me,”

He smiled, “I know. That’s why I hide them,”

She then tapped at his temple, “Where did you put your hitai-ate? I know you received them but you never once wear them,”

He shrugged, “Who knows,”

This was the reason Minato was anxious these days. Naruto was blatant with his lack loyalty towards Konoha. The only reason he returned was because Hinata returned to Konoha. Apparently, his original plant was to join Konoha out of nothing to do. But the fact that he could easily betray the village had he not met Hinata was a weight that Minato could never really ignore.

Hinata hummed, a plan forming in her head.

A few days later, Naruto managed to convince Minato to let him do outside village mission. His skill wasn’t one for Genin nonsense. So now he sat in front of the ANBU Commander as the man tattooed the symbol of Hi on his left shoulder. After the job was done, he was handed a mask. Naruto stared at the mask and said, “Can’t you give me a blank one?”

The Commander hummed, “You are not a ROOT traitor,”

Naruto stared at the mask, “I don’t want to forget what raised me either,” He sneered, “I want to mock those bastards. Even masked, I am more free than them,”

The Commander studied the boy before turning around. He then returned with a different kitsune mask but unlike the closed painted mouth, this one sported a crescent grin and curved black eyes. A mocking facial. Naruto looked at it and tossed the other mask over his shoulder. Another ANBU who was cleaning the tattooing kit, quickly grabbed it. He tilted his head with great interest at the mask, “This is…?”

The Commander cleared his throat, “Lord Hokage had thought that the standard masks would not interest you and since he didn’t want the chance of you just forgoing the mask, he decided to make one that would interest you more,”

Naruto smirked, “This…is really a good mask,”

It felt like him. Mocking smile on his lips and amused curves on his eyes. Minato, despite Naruto putting up walls around the man, knew him. Perhaps Hinata helped guide him?

He can never lie to her.

The next morning, Kakashi stared at the Shadow Clone smiling all too excitedly at him. He looked at Hinata who nodded in silent. It seemed that Naruto have decided to completely pull away from boring inside missions, leaving his clones to work on teamwork with the others. Kakashi hummed and led the others to yet another mundane inside village mission.

They didn’t see Naruto for the next 3 months…

Hinata gasped as she felt the weight climbing into her bed. She opened her eyes to see Naruto hovering over her. She loosed her hold on the kunai under her pillow. She watched him and said, “You stink of blood,”

Naruto frowned, “I just got back,”

She pushed at his face, “Go wash up,”

Naruto pouted before asking, “Wash my hair?”

Hinata stared at him before sighing, “Fine…”

It won’t be the first time he climbed into her bed. At first it made her nervous but she had long gotten used to it. Minato had been informed and since he said nothing about it, Hinata accepted her new life. So now she followed Naruto into the bathroom and turned her face away as he stripped, “Please keep a towel around your waist,”

He looked at her, “Why? You’ve seen me,”

She frowned, remembering the first time he asked her to wash his hair. She had been naive then. Minato wasn’t home and Naruto had just stripped naked in front of her. Blushing, she insisted, “I won’t help wash your hair if you don’t wrap a towel around your waist,”

He grumbled as he did as she asked and sat on the stool, “Hinata,”

Hinata was glad that summer air made her choose a sleeveless sleeping dress to wear. Sitting on a stool behind Naruto, she started helping him wash. She remembered the first time he made her do this. She just know that he won’t let her say no and so resigned to his demand. She wet his hair and started to wash his scalp. She noticed the blood that came off and wondered if he was hit on the head.

She can’t feel any injury so she can only surmise that he had healed before coming home. She never really ask but she knew that Naruto heal fast. He took advantage of his rapid healing to use his Kekkei Genkai to its peak performance. From what she learned from the few books in Minato’s office about the origin Naruto’s Kekkei Genkai, the Kaguya Clan had lost it due to the uncontrolled inbreeding. It also affected their mental development and health. The only reason they had such high number of members were because of the women being forced to continuously give birth until their wombs were ruined. Whoever lived and resembled a functioning human will be made a Shinobi while the rest were left to die or used for human experimentation. At the same time, using the Kekkei Genkai often left them with deep wounds. Most died young, especially during war due to infection.

Minato had informed her that Naruto was the Kyuubi’s Jinchuuriki to explain his rapid healing. So she wasn’t so surprised that he healed fast. Not to mention the red glow that she sometimes saw in depth of his dark soul. She suspected that the red glow must be Kyuubi.

She felt sorry for him.

It must be very dark and suffocating to be inside Naruto.

She used the shower head to wash off the suds from Naruto’s head. But then he suddenly moved, shocking her as he grabbed her wrist and turned the water on her. His other hand was quick to cover her mouth before she could scream in shock. She fell back from being unseated by his sudden movement. He let go of the shower head just in time to cover the back of her cranium before she could crack it on the bathroom’s floor.

Hinata breathed hard, her heart pounding as she stared at him.

Naruto stared at her before pulling his hand away from her mouth and said, “I saw something upsetting today,”

She gulped before asking, “And what does that have to do with this?”

He was silent for a moment before saying, “Can I see you naked?”

She blushed at the shameless request. But personality like Naruto was complicated to handle. So she asked, “Why?”

He smiled, “I want to forget their tangled bodies,”

Did he kill someone in the middle sex or something?

Logic told her to shove him off but before she can even move, his hands were already holding onto her waist. He leaned closer, pressing his face against her neck, whispering, “Your body is already showing anyway. What’s the difference if I see you naked?”

She shuddered at the feel of his lips against her neck. She knew what a bite from Naruto can do. His teeth was possibly the only bones in his body that he didn’t care to replace. Whenever she watched him eat, she noticed how sharp he made them as he tore through meat. His fangs were longer than most human’s, including the feral Inuzuka Clan known to maul their enemy like a beast.

His hand moved, brushing over her ribs and thumbed the swell of her breast’s underside.

Shameless.

Unpredictable.

In the end, Hinata resigned. So with a red face, she nodded. Her voice lost to her anxiety. Naruto smiled at her, beaming beautifully in happiness.

She slowly took off her wet and transparent sleepwear. He stared at her, watching how she tried to hide her chest. Her underwear too, was wet from the water pooling under them. Hinata fidgeted, hoping that he won’t ask her to take off her underwear too. Mentally, she tried to disassociate and remind herself that they were siblings. That children used to bathe together. That it was like that instead of something more sinister.

Hinata wasn’t dumb and she was far from blind.

She knew that Minato was using her to keep Naruto in Konoha. But she didn’t mind being used like that. That man was her only father figure. She would do anything and sacrifice anything to make him proud so that he will keep her by his side.

Naruto’s hand reached to her arms hiding her torso and she bit her bottom lip as he tugged them away from her. He stared at her budding chest. Larger than Sakura’s or Ino’s. Her back trembled at his open staring. She blushed when he licked his lips and when he leaned closer, she put a hand on his shoulders, “What are you doing?”

He looked at her, “I saw a mother breast feeding her babe,”

Hinata shook her head, “I’m not with child. I don’t have a baby and that means that I don’t have breast milk,”

He stared at her, “Even though you’re so big?”

Hinata blushed, “Y-yes,”

He pushed away her hands and Hinata knew that she can’t stop him as he pulled on her torso. Instead, she covered her mouth when he wrapped his lips around a nipple. Her body was sensitive to his touch and Hinata tried not to make a nose as each swipe of his tongue shot lightnings up and down her back. He didn’t even push her down and instead hugged her while his mouth latched onto her hungrily.

She didn’t know how exactly Naruto saw her.

Sometimes he treated her like she was indeed his little sister with his teasing and pranks.

Sometimes he treated her like she was his mother with how much he sought comfort from her.

Sometimes, like this time, he treated her like a toy to satisfy his curiosity.

Sensations that she didn’t know quaked through her form and she felt warmth gushing between her nether lips. It was strange and alien but at the same time it didn’t feel unpleasant. However, she also felt shame in herself for feeling that way. So much so that she felt tears slipping from her eyes.

She wanted him to stop.

But she knew that once Naruto have something in his head, he won’t stop.

He sucked hard on her as he pulled his head back only to attend to her other nipple. It was too much and she started to feel extremely uncomfortable. But no matter how she tried to pry his face away from her, he won’t budge. If anything, his hold on her felt bruising.

This his mouth moved from her sore nipple to nibble his way all over her chest. Leaving red marks on her pale skin. He then kissed her pulse, his hands rubbing her back and scratched her just enough for her to feel the top layer of her skin splitting and stinging in long lines.

He kissed her cheek, “You’re mine. Okay, Hinata?”

Hinata sobbed, “Yes. Aniue,”

He smiled before biting down on her shoulder, a hand over her mouth as she screamed through the pain. He didn’t push any chakra to activate the fatal Kekkei Genkai. He just hurt her enough to forever scar her. He pulled away and knelt over her. His hand caressed her tearful face and smiled, “Beautiful. You’re beautiful,” He pinched her pale cheek, “Beautiful and mine,”

Hinata watched as he stood up and washed himself. She lay there in the pool of water, staring at him until the dim light that was his seed started to regain some vitality. He stood over her, uncaring that she was made to see everything about him that she didn’t want to. He reached down, tore off her sodden underwear and washed her body. Hinata said nothing as he took care of her.

She was acutely aware of his darkness. It swell and ebb with his emotions. But she was also aware of the seed of light inside him. Her mission that Minato gave was to nurture that light into a blossom.

As Naruto put her inside her dry sleepwear, Hinata didn’t say anything. She was still in shock of what he had just done. She had hoped that by calling him a title like ‘Aniue’, Honorable Elder Brother, that he won’t do something like this. But he was more twisted that she anticipated. He put her to bed and tucked her in, patting on her like a brother would after his little sister woke up from a nightmare.

As sleep slowly descend on her, she heard him say, “Sorry. I can’t help it. Having to wait for the target to stop fucking that slut did something to me. I just…I need your help to satisfy that craving,” He then praised, “Your breasts are beautiful, Hinata. I’m sure that they are the most beautiful breasts in the world. I bet they’ll jiggle better than the slut when you’re bigger,”

The things he said hardly comforted her. But she asked, “Were you…horny?”

Naruto hummed, “Was that what it was? I did notice that target dick being hard before he shove them inside her. It took me a while to calm down myself. Say, Hinata,” She felt a drop in her stomach at his next question, “Next time I get an erection, can I fuck you? I don’t want to fuck other woman,”

Hinata pursed her lips, “You should do that with someone you love,”

He stopped patting her before asking, “Don’t you…love me, I mean?”

She firmly stated, “I love you as my brother,”

He fell silent before she heard him chuckling, “You are such a liar, Hinata. And a bad one at that,” He kissed her cheek and used his knuckles in a mockery of care, “That’s okay. You can try and marry out or date someone. Man or woman. You can go and do that. But I will kill them slowly and painfully. I will skin them and turn their skin into a handbag for you. I will keep them alive long enough for you to say goodbye. After that, I will have them torn with the good old horses racing to the four cardinal direction. I will leave no ashes for you to cry over. And then you can start over again. Love a different person and try to kiss them. I will split their skull open when you do because you should remember the taste of their blood the moment you kiss them,” He gripped her face, staring at her with his glowing gaze, “Because you are mine,”

Madness.

Insanity.

The darkness in his soul seemingly yawning and eating at the light that had just started to glow again in his chest. Hinata pulled a hand out and said, “Then I will never date or marry anyone,”

He grinned, “Hinata…how long are you going to pretend that we are one big happy family? I have played your game for years now. When will you stop this play pretend between us?”

Hinata stared at him, “I was never playing with you,”

Naruto stared at her, studying her face, before smiling and shook his head, “No. You are good at pretending to yourself. I know you. I watched you just as much as you watched me. Admit it, you like me, Hinata,” He whispered into her ear, “You like me as more than a brother,”

Hinata closed her eyes, “Please…just let me sleep,”

Naruto smiled as he pulled away, ruffling her hair as he did, “Okay. Let’s play again tomorrow, okay? Goodnight~!”

He closed the door and Hinata let out a breath of relief. She didn’t know if Minato knew about Naruto’s night visits. And if he did, he must have thought that letting Naruto get anything from Hinata would further cement his ties to Konoha. However, the most he did in the years before was to hug her or make her pat his head. But he would always play with her mask, mocking her for playing pretend with him.

At night, he was her personal demon.

Yet, when the sun rose and she walked down to make breakfast, it was the nightmare that he showed her at night was nothing more than just her imagination. That the demon claiming her and possessing her was just an illusion, Naruto would smile at her and praise her cooking, every image the boy that he showed to the rest of the world. Minato will then pat her head, his eyes sad with understanding but cold with determination. Naruto was more than just his son. He was a property of Konoha and Hinata…

Hinata was the only leash Naruto allowed to collar him to Konoha and so she was Konoha’s sacrifice to Naruto.

Chapter Text

“I know what you did to Hinata,”

Naruto grunted in acknowledgement as Minato made him stand on attention. After the heat itching under his skin had finally settled, Naruto understood that Minato will want a talk with him. And he deserved every second of it.

The man continued, “Well, from the lack of semen, I understand that you didn’t rape her. But you hurt her,” Minato looked at Naruto, his expression stern, “You are to protect her. Not to do whatever you want with her,”

Naruto sniffed, nodding at his admonishment.

Minato then added, “Yes, I know that you know why I am allowing you to hang around Hinata or why Hinata is even allowed to be with you. But that does not give you the right to force yourself on her,” He glared at Naruto, “For what you did, I will have to punish you but since I know you are a sadist, you will probably torture any person I put you under for punishment. So I will have to have you separate from Hinata doing actual Genin mission. If you don’t attend physically for this mission, I will have to extend no contact with Hinata,”

Naruto growled.

Minato smacked his head, “You can growl all you want. You over did it!” He opened his drawer and handed him a scroll, “This a Blank-rank mission,”

Blank-rank mission meant undercover mission.

Minato explained, “Your team have taken up a C-rank mission to Nami. It isn’t weird on the surface. Just protect some bridge builder from the thugs harassing him and his crew. But something smells fishy about this mission. So I am handing this to you but you will still have to do everything Kakashi ask you. Report to me first for further direction,” He peered at Naruto, “Understand?”

Naruto looked at the black scroll in his hand and put it away, “Yes, Sir,”

Immediately after he received his mission scroll, he headed out. His team should be gathering around the south-east exit at 7 in the morning. Hinata was exempted from the mission and had been sent to arrange the archive somewhere deep in the belly of the Hokage Tower. He wasn’t allowed to see her as part of his punishment. Naruto gritted his jaw so tight that his teeth ached.

He knew what he did was wrong. But sometimes his body just move and whatever voice of reason in his head will fade. All he could do was chase that thrill and fill the void in his head. Not even the fox could make him stop. So last night when he saw Hinata in her bed, he thought to tease her like he normally do. But then he saw the silhouette of her body, normally hidden by stiff formal kimono, and remembered his target fucking the escort that he hired. He was normally so well guarded that the only time Naruto knew he would completely lower his guard was when he had sex. Fucking can really make the most paranoid predator stupid. But while he waited for the right moment, seeing that man making the woman squeal and scream with his turgid length going in and out of her, the noises and the smells affected Naruto before he caught where his mind was heading.

He want to do that to Hinata.

He kept thinking of pushing her underneath him and shoving his own hard dick in and out of her.

Part of him thought that he didn’t need consent. That she liked him anyway. So she won’t be against him taking her however he wanted.

Then when he made it back, he saw her in her bed. Asleep. Unaware. Innocent. The dark thoughts of just taking her disappeared. Barely. The itch under his skin wasn’t going away. The more he killed, the stronger the throb between his legs became. Even after he had taken a moment of privacy to masturbate, it didn’t go away. So he decided to take something from Hinata. Not everything, but something.

A reminder that she belonged to him.

And thus, what happened last night. His lust was satisfied, barely, but it was sated for that night. Still, he accepted that he needed to be punished and Minato delivered. A reminder that he can’t let that void inside him take control. That he didn’t want to be what the Cripple want him to be. That he was the master of his own choices in life.

And so he forced a smile as the rest of his team arrived at the gate, “Good morning~!”

Kakashi hummed while the other two looked at him in confusion. They then looked at the preppy Shadow Clone, suspicion on their face. A stinky old man blinked at him. Before Sakura or Sasuke could say anything, Naruto snapped his fingers, dismissing the clone. Once the solidified chakra dispersed, scowls replaced their expressions. Naruto shrugged, “What can I say? Those lame missions were killing me,”

The old man stared at him, “And you are?”

Naruto grinned, “I’m your personal Shinigami,”

Kakashi ignored the pale man and said, “This is Uzumaki Naruto. He’s not very stable and if you try to talk smack to him, prepare to be mind raped,”

The old man gulped. After all, Kakashi was the older and more experienced Shinobi. So if a veteran like him warn about a kid like this, something must be really wrong with the kid. Civilians knew that Shinobi weren’t squeaky clean in the moral department and some have been known to be kill happy. Maybe the boy was the latter? Definitely someone to avoid.

Kakashi introduced the man, “This is Tazuna. Our job is to keep him alive until he finish his bridge,”

Naruto pouted as they registered their exit at the guard house, “That means he needs his limbs. Bo~ring~!”

Tazuna decided to become a good mute for the duration of the travel.

As they walked through the forest, Sakura started asking Tazuna about this and that. Her excitement at leaving the village for the first time showing in how she asked about the villages without Shinobi presence and how they stay safe from things like bandits and criminal occupations. Tazuna explained that they have some village watch for the petty criminals but will seek out the nearest and more convenient Shinobi services for the complicate ones. Which caught Naruto’s dark interest.

The black scroll weighed in his pack on his back.

Minato did say that the mission request was fishy. Why would the builder need Shinobi to guard them back and why do they need to come on their own when they could just make a request from the Shinobi border patrol? They do have such services for request from remote places. Nami wasn’t even a part of Hi so traveling alone, chancing being stabbed and buried under some tree roots was dumb…or desperate.

He looked at the puddle of water as the sun slowly dipped low after high noon passed. Sakura have long given up filling the space with her idle chatter. Sasuke was busy practicing switching hand signs as fast as he can. Kakashi have his nose buried in his smut. Tazuna was jittery but the others dismissed his shaking hands as that of a chronic drunkards.

Chains erupted from the puddle, tearing through Kakashi and splitting his top and bottom. Tazuna screamed in shock as Sakura pulled him behind her, a kunai in hand. Verdant eyes wide with terror as she screamed, “Kakashi-sensei!”

Sasuke was smoother as instead of panicking, dormant instincts came to life and he retaliated as he locked their weapon to a tree before aiming for their fatal points. The other turned to Sakura and reached for her, lazily avoiding her kunai toss. Sasuke made quick work of the other guy, knocking him unconscious. Either he had grown more skilled or the other party was just that dumb, who knew? However, Sakura found herself in a pinch as the blade reached her neck inch by inch as the nanosecond ticked by…

The Shinobi’s arm dropped from the shoulder.

A clean cut that somehow splattered Sakura’s face with blood due to the direction his shoulder was facing.

The attacking Shinobi blinked, body freezing at the sight of his bloody shoulder and fallen arm. More seconds ticked by before he screamed, “MY ARM!!!”

Naruto kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to fell onto one knee. He gripped the screaming man’s hair and yanked his head back to smile at him, “Seriously? You’re crying because you lost an arm? Lame~!” He then shouted, “Oi, Kakashi. If you keep playing possum, this bag of information might just die of blood loss,” He then pulled the snarling Shinobi by the hair and dragged him to where his partner was waking up. He placed a foot on the back of the other’s neck, pressing down just enough to let them know that snapping their neck was just a matter of shifting his weight.

He looked at them, “The Demon Brothers, huh? Read about you two in the Bingo Book. Chuunin level Shinobi Nuke-nin from Kiri. The fact that you ignored Sasuke, that jail bait, after not even checking if one of the most powerful and skilled Konoha Jounin is really dead to go after a nobody girl said that you are on a mission. But since Sakura is a total nobody, that only leaves one other person,” He grinned at his paling hostages, “Tazuna, hm? A bridge builder. He’s a nobody like Sakura but unlike Sakura who really have no bounty on her since she’s just a brat and not even that pretty, Tazuna is the only possible reason why you would even head in her direction,”

The one under his feet growled, “Once I get my hand on you, you damn brat-,”

Naruto pressed down, cutting his airway. He looked at the one in his hand, the face almost blue from the rapid blood lost, “Hmm…should I help you? I’m not good with Katon Jutsu but I’m sure that I can char you just enough to close that wound. No promises that you’ll live, though,”

Kakashi sighed as he sat on the one under his feet, “Leave him,” He looked at Tazuna, “As you can see, Naruto here is a murder hobo. Anything you want to tell us?”

Sasuke shifted, a kunai in hand as he looked at Tazuna. Meanwhile, Sakura was busy trying to get as much blood off her face as possible. Tazuna had gone pale from Naruto’s nonchalant attitude toward cutting a grown man’s arm. The things he rambled on as if making a joke were not making him anymore comfortable. But the other Shinobi seemed fine and so he started explaining.

He wrung his hands on the small towel he have, “I’m…I’m here on my own accord. My family have nothing to do with this. I didn’t even tell them where I’m going in case I didn’t make it. The waters around Mizu are full of pirates taking advantage of the war going on there. So I head to Konoha since it’s safer. I…I didn’t mean to lie about the mission. I do need protection. But it isn’t just thugs. Things have been escalating and most able bodied men had been dealt with that most can’t even go out to fish anymore. But when I saw the prices for hiring Shinobi, I realized that the most I can hire you lot for is for C-rank missions. I can’t afford any more than that. The money I gave you was my whole life saving!”

Sasuke frowned, “If things are that bad, why didn’t the others at your island help?”

Tazuna shook his head, “We are just a small fishing island. If anything, I am the wealthiest on that island since I build most of their homes, shacks, and boats. So you can just imagine how poor we are. After all, I put my everything on this bridge I’m building,” He knelt down and prostrate, “Please. I promise that I will pay the price after the bridge is completed! If I have to sell my organs, whatever healthy ones left in me, I’ll do it! Just…help free us from that tyrant Gato!”

Sakura shared a look with Sasuke. Her expression was clearly reluctant. She was ready to experience a simple guarding mission, not whatever was waiting for them in Nami. Sasuke looked intrigued by the idea of something more than a lame protection detail. But Kakashi looked at Naruto instead, “What do you think, Naruto?”

Without warning, Naruto stabbed a bone into the head of the guy Kakashi was sitting on, the one in his hand cried out in horror as his brother turned to ashes. Tazuna turned green at the sight. Naruto then stabbed another bone into the neck of the screaming man in his hand. He then looked at Kakashi, “I’m going. The Yondaime is mad at me. I can’t head back until this mission is complete. That’s my order,” He looked at the others, “So whether you come along or turn back have nothing to do with me,”

Kakashi, who stood up the moment he notice the bone protruding out of Naruto’s palm, dusted his butt and looked at the others, “Sasuke?”

Sasuke was staring at Naruto’s bone with great interest before answering, “I’m going. I want the experience,”

Kakashi turned to Sakura, “And you?”

Her face had turned even greener at the sight of what Naruto just did but realizing that she was outvoted, she nodded despite her trembling frame, “I’m…I’m going too!”

Naruto shrugged and looked at Kakashi, “Come on,”

Kakashi sighed, “Oh well. Since we met Chuunin so early on, you can bet your sorry asses that it’s going to be Jounin next. And that is going to be quite the battle on its own. Hopefully it’s no one too problematic,”

Naruto deadpanned, “You just jinxed us,”

While Kakashi was mentally cursing Naruto for invoking the jinx by saying it out loud, the others followed the Jounin and the boy that seemed more mysterious the more they spent their time around him. Sasuke slowly understood why Itachi told him to watch out for Naruto. He was more complex and dangerous than he have been pretending this whole time. Beside him, Sakura was still trembling from the casual brutality that Naruto showed. Sure, he had shown sadistic tendencies with his pranks while in the Academy. But she had normally brushed it off as him taking his dumb pranks too far because he didn’t know better.

She was an idiot.

He did knew better. He just didn’t care.

After they stopped for the night, Sakura sat closer to Sasuke after setting up camp. He noticed that instead of trying to get cozy with him and batting her lashes at him in an amateur attempt at seduction, she was seeking pure comfort from him. He also noted that she was trying not to keep her eyes on Naruto. Classical sign of a prey acknowledging the predator in their midst. After dinner was bedtime. Fortunately, Naruto didn’t sleep in the tent with them.

Instead he sat outside, watching the stars.

Kakashi sat near Tazuna, keeping an eye on the unpredictable boy.

Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Hinata was yawning as she put away the last of the scroll in the Hokage’s private archive. She had spent the whole day secluded in the restricted library, arranging and updating the archive. She even had her lunch and dinner there. After what happened last night, she was understandably shaken.

Her nipples still tingles with phantom memories of Naruto sucking on them mercilessly.

She sighed, rubbing her neck and trying to forget. But the problem came in that Naruto could be so forward because just like how he can’t hide his truth from her, he watched her enough to know everything about her. For the past three years since she knew him, Hinata had played a game of tightrope with Naruto.

Like he said, her title for him was a reminder of both herself and to him. A flimsy excuse to put up walls between them. Playing house of brother and sister. One that she knew that he never actually agreed with and was growing bored of. Worse, there was nothing to distract him from his ever presence boredom. These past few months were testing at his patience. And thought Minato tried to redirect his energy, it only snapped at his self restraint around her. Last night was proof of his breaking patience.

Hinata stood up and clocked out of the archive. As she made her way to Minato’s office, she wondered where Minato will send Naruto this time. He told her prior to speaking with Naruto that he will punish him. He also patted her head and praised her for being brave. Hinata blushed at the memory.

Before Minato, her life was filled with loneliness and rejection. Hunger and darkness was her only companion. She couldn’t even speak to him because no one ever spoke to her. At least, not properly. She knew the word for “hungry” and “pain” but nothing more.

“Hungry” because she was always hungry.

“Pain” because with hunger came the pain of starvation.

She was only fed because they couldn’t stand the sound of her crying in pain and hunger. But if they did visit her, they will hurl insults at her with voices that scared her. Making her stay silent for as long as she could endure both pain and hunger.

One day, she managed to escape from the shed that the clan barely ever acknowledged and dig around the trash like a stray animal, wanting to fill her stomach instead of enduring the gnawing hunger. If the clan found her, they will simply pick her up and threw her back into the shed. Food and water were barely available on most days. Winter was the worse and the only reason she even survived her winters was because desperation taught her to circulate her chakra internally to warm up. But that only add to her hunger as her energy depleted from having to constantly circulate her chakra. Forcing her to escape the shed again and again.

It was during one such winter night that Minato saw her.

The horror on his face and disgust had scared her. But then he picked her up and bundled her in his Hokage coat before furiously speaking to Hiashi. After that, he took her in. Before she knew it, he became her Father.

Before Minato, Hinata didn’t know warmth. But after understanding her world better and learning why she lived like a stray animal in the backyard of her own ‘family’, Hinata swore to be of use to Minato in any way she can. So without being asked, she taught herself how to cook. She scared him the first time she tried cooking because the ANBU had panicked and took her straight to his office, a large knife still in one hand. Understanding that she won’t give up on doing housework, he started teaching her and if he couldn’t be there, either his clone or one of the older ANBU will help teach her.

He never allowed any Hyuuga near her.

Then, one day, as she spent a day in his office under his desk, learning how to read and write, she heard the things that was shared. That was when her Byakugan revealed itself to her. She found herself staring at the person speaking to Minato, watching the micro expressions in their subtle body language and the inflection in their voices. Curiously, she had asked Minato about what she saw and heard after he took her home. Minato immediately realized her talent and though he never asked her of it, just like when she decided to take care of his food, clothes, and home, Hinata started training herself to watch and listen.

Before she knew it, her Byakugan was considered the purest in the clan from all the help she gave Minato simply by sitting under his desk and watching the people he spoke with. Somehow it got out and then people started seeking her out. Kidnapping attempts became common despite Minato’s effort to keep her safe. Not only was the Minato’s only ‘weakness’ but she was also an asset in meetings. Despite the Hyuuga Clan known for their anti-lying services, most serving as lawyers for Konoha’s numerous clans, none of them could boast being as perceptive as Hinata.

But Minato never really liked her involving herself in his meeting. He only allowed it because as the Hokage, her skills and talents were useful. But as a father, he was always worrying about her. So after a difficult time, he would always praise her for being brave. Her life seemed to gravitate towards getting all her head pats from him.

She was allowed to enter Minato’s office and he smiled at her upon entry, “Done already? Honestly, other Chuunin would have taken at the very least 3 days to complete the whole updating the archive,”

Hinata nodded before asking, “Where did you send Aniue?”

Minato hummed, “A C-rank mission. He wasn’t allowed to use his Shadow Clones to finish the mission for him and he must show teamwork for me to consider the mission successful,”

Hinata started picking up on all the crumpled papers around Minato. Random seal doodles filled most of the pages. She smiled at him as he coughed in embarrassment, “Tough client?”

Minato sighed, “As usual…” He looked at her, “Are you really alright, Hinata?”

Hinata hummed, “I am still…a little shaken but…I am a Kunoichi. I will endure…for both Konoha and Aniue,”

Minato rubbed his temple, “Honestly, I didn’t expect for him to be interested in that sort of thing until much, much, much older. Should I put a seal on him to prevent something like this from happening again? But he’s well versed in Fuuinjutsu himself. Danzo certainly taught him the basic and the forbidden,” He smiled bitterly, “I’m sorry, Hinata. I’m a terrible excuse for a father figure,”

Hinata touched his temple, using what her eyes showed her to massaged the points that look strained, “You are the Hokage. Being good have never been in the card for you once you put on that hat,” She then smiled, “But you didn’t ignore my discomfort and even handed down punishment on Naruto for what he did. It is more than what my biological father would have acknowledged,”

Knowing Hiashi, he would probably tell her to shut up and do her part, regardless of what was demanded of her.

Minato snorted, “Such a brittle comparison,” He sighed in relief, “Thank you, Hinata. I feel much better,” He then smiled at her, “How about supper?”

Hinata smiled brightly, “Yes, Father!”

As they walked through the street to Ichiraku, she felt comfort in his kind presence. Hinata knew that what he expected of her would be considered too much but that was the life of a Kunoichi. As they ate, Hinata starting on her fourth bowl while Minato joked with Teuchi, she glanced at the stool that Naruto would normally fill. Though what he did scared her, she cannot help but miss him. After all, despite it all, he was her family. More than any of the people she shared blood with ever will be. For them, she would give anything. Even her life.

Chapter Text

The fogs grew suspiciously thick despite the last time he checked the position of the sun. By that point the sea fog should have lightened instead of thickening. He sighed and coughed before sniffing thrice. Kakashi cleared his throat, accepting his warning of possible ambush. Naruto focused and sensed two chakra hiding in the trees around them. He also sensed the chakra manipulating and generating the mist around them. He kicked the ground twice lazily as if bored. Kakashi pulled his hand out of his pocket to scratch as his ear; noted.

Then, as they moved deeper in, Naruto shoved Tazuna under him just as Kakashi shouted, “Duck!”

Tazuna crashed against the forest ground with a painful grunt. Sakura held her head in her hands while Sasuke pulled out a kunai, eyes glaring as he tried to look past the mist. A giant cleaver sliced into the side of a large tree and a man in bandages landed on the handle.

Naruto looked at him and hummed, “Momochi Zabuza. The guy who forced Kiri to change the way their Shinobi recruit graduate by killing all the graduates, leaving only him as the survivor of his year and thus leaving Kiri with a shortage of new blood. Also the current owner of Kubikiribocho. Last was reported trying to kill the reigning Mizukage and was the one who sparked the civil war in Kiri,”

Sakura looked at him, “How do you know all that?”

Naruto deadpanned, “By not sniffing after Sasuke’s butt all day after leaving the Academy,”

Sakura flushed red, “S-shut up!”

Sasuke hummed, “He looks strong,”

Naruto sneered, “He is strong since he managed to survive the Yondaime Mizukage,” He looked at Kakashi, “Told you that you jinxed us,”

Kakashi sighed, “Naruto. Shut up,”

Naruto flipped him the bird, “Go get him, puppy!”

Zabuza chuckled darkly, “You seem to have a mouthy one there, Copycat Kakashi,”

Kakashi curved his exposed eye as he lifted his hitai-ate, revealing the Sharingan that made him famous, “Nothing I can help with, I’m afraid,” He then lazily gave the team his order, “Diamond Formation! Defend Tazuna while I deal with our uninvited guest,”

As the two clashed, Sakura gripped her kunai tighter, “Sage, their kind of fight is just something else. How many deception play are there? Also, is Kakashi-sensei related to your clan, Sasuke?”

Sasuke’s eyes flickered around, trying to keep track of the two higher classed Shinobi, “Somewhat. His late friend from the war gave him his Sharingan because he was trapped under fallen rocks or something. I tried to learn more but you know how Shinobi is like with information,”

Naruto lifted a hand, forming a blade made out of bone, and twisted his body to slice at the Water Clone trying to creep up on them. He twirled his blade, his eyes easily keeping up on the two Jounin. From what he remembered from the documents reporting events from the world, courtesy of Cripple’s information networking, Zabuza was a powerful but despite that, his strength seemed to have suffered from his injuries fighting the mad Mizukage. It did explain how he seemed to struggle against Kakashi. Meanwhile, Kakashi was holding back.

Probably to lure out Zabuza’s helper that was still in hiding.

Naruto clicked his tongue, “Kakashi is famous for Raiton Jutsu application. But with how wet everything is, he have to hold back,”

Zabuza finally managed to pull free of Kakashi, his dark eyes taking note of the bone sword in Naruto’s grip, “I didn’t expect for a Kaguya’s bastard to be in Konoha,”

Naruto frowned, “Watch your mouth. My parents were married when they had me. But if we are talking about conception, that I am a surprise for both of them. You can even say that I forced my old man to man up and ask my mum to be his legal wife instead of just roommates with benefits,”

Zabuza scowled, “Kid. Ever heard of too much information?”

Naruto smirked, “Did it distract you?”

Zabuza’s eyes widened as he barely managed to move out of Kakashi’s water attack. The waves that Kakashi summoned flattening the growth all around them but completely missing the target. Naruto sighed, shaking his head as Kakashi and Zabuza resumed fighting. He then noticed how the others were looking at him, “What?”

Sasuke asked, “I didn’t know that you have a Kekkei Genkai,”

Naruto hummed, “You’re not supposed to. I was explicitly forbidden to be stab happy back at the Academy. Too bad the graduation in Konoha is clean. Kiri would have made us kill each to weed out the weak and unworthy,”

Sakura gulped as her face took on a green tinge, “That’s…”

Naruto nodded, “Wasteful but effective in highlighting the ones made for the Shinobi life. Konoha emphasizes on teamwork, so does Kumo. Kiri and Iwa? Not so much. Suna is a mixed bag because who needs teammates when you can use puppets instead?” He raised a brow, “Great, Kakashi managed to force Zabuza to back away,”

They noticed that Zabuza was nowhere to be seen. Using his Eye of Kagura, Naruto took note that Zabuza was badly injured and was running back to base. He didn’t give chase as Kakashi slipped his hitai-ate back over his eye to prevent further draining of his chakra. That Sharingan was one gluttonous little shit.

Sakura relaxed the moment Kakashi relaxed, cheering happily, “Great! We are safe!”

Kakashi hummed, “I won’t be cheering. After all, one thing you should learn about our line of work, Sakura? It is that a headache that got away will come back worse and better prepared. He would be asking Gato to hire some extra help to deal with me,”

Sakura slumped, “Can’t you at least let me celebrate my relief?”

Sasuke frowned, “No. That would lower our guard. We should only do that once back with clan and family,” He nodded, “You know? People we can trust with our life?”

Tazuna smiled, “W-well, for now we are safe! Even if it is just the calm before the storm, it is still something to feel happy about! After all, being alive means another chance!” He then cheered, “I’ll introduce you to my daughter and grandson, alright? Come on! We aren’t very far now!”

As they followed Tazuna, Sasuke asked, “Kakashi-sensei, you said that since we met Chuunin at the start of our journey, we will meet Jounin. Will the next battle be harder with higher ranked Shinobi?”

Kakashi shrugged, “Possible. I don’t think I can handle two Zabuza so you better pray to the Sage that Gato can’t find anyone of similar caliber,”

Naruto looked at him, “Did you slack around after leaving ANBU, Captain?”

Kakashi sighed, “We don’t normally reveal our identity so freely, Naruto,”

Naruto shrugged, “I just think that you would have fallen for lame traps had you slacked longer after leaving the Yondaime’s favorite squad of chaos gremlin. I’m pretty sure that you could have killed him,”

Kakashi chuckled, “Alone? Yes. I could easily kill him. But with the heavy humidity due to all the Suiton Jutsu being thrown away, using my best jutsu could easily backfire and cause harm to you lot instead,” He curved his eye at them, “And I will never let my comrade to die,”

Naruto said nothing about that hollow promise. A lie that Kakashi will tell himself just so he can feel less like a weapon and more a human being. A lie that many Shinobi who had walked through the darkest part of that life will tell themselves after they returned to light. The mask that ANBU wore was more than symbolic and allowed Shinobi to disassociate themselves from the atrocities that their mission will make them do.

Bear killed that family, not Shunpei.

Bear was the bad guy, not Shunpei.

And once released from service; Bear died, not Shunpei.

Naruto soon noticed the house that slowly draw closer with every step. With his Eye of Kagura, he confirmed that those two inside were both civilian. Nothing to worry about. Kakashi took note of his relaxed posture, a real relaxed posture as Naruto wrapped his arms in front of him over his torso. Even if there were threat, it wasn’t one where his fatal Kekkei Genkai were needed.

Tazuna cried, “Tsunami~! I’m home~!”

The door opened and a teary eyed woman opened the door, “Dad? Dad! It’s really you! Oh thank Lord Ebisu! I thought that I’ll never see you again!” She wrapped her arms around the elderly man and cried into his shoulder, “Thank Lord Ebisu! Don’t do that ever again!”

The Shinobi squad stood outside awkwardly before she took notice of them. Tazuna grinned and waved his hand, “This is the super Shinobi squad that saved me! Kept me save all the way from Konoha to Nami! Shinobi-san, this is my daughter Tsunami!”

Kakashi nodded at her, “Greetings,”

Sasuke and Sakura bowed at her.

Naruto stared at the kid peeking from inside the house, glaring at them with a frown.

Tsunami invited the group in and prepared the extra room for their use. Sasuke and Sakura put away their bags before looking at Naruto. They had noticed that he didn’t bring anything with him but the clothes on his back. But neither ask why. Kakashi stretched his body with a jaw cracking yawn, “Well, I think it is time to up your training. How much have you trained your chakra?”

Sasuke nodded, “A retired family member taught me how to climb using chakra. We have also tested for my element and my dad is actually surprised that I have lightning. He then said something how that explained why I have such a hard time learning their clan’s coming of age jutsu,”

Sakura looked at him, “Coming of age jutsu?”

He nodded, “It used to be that Uchiha children can’t become a Shinobi unless we learn the Great Fireball Jutsu. Not everyone uphold that tradition these days. I learned from Nii-san that part of the reason why we used to train that jutsu is to grow our chakra reserve that we were born with. It was…a little backward,”

Kakashi nodded and turned to Sakura, “I know that your father was once a Genin before he decided that Shinobi life wasn’t for him. Have he taught you anything?”

Sakura blushed, “N-no. My parents are too busy with our family grocer,”

The Haruno was one of the wealthier merchants in Konoha. Maybe not as wealthy as, say, the Hyuuga who monopolized the main street’s business but still wealthier than most of her peers from the civilian merchant street. In fact, her parents have been trying to convince her to stop before she became Chuunin because it was easier for Genin to drop out than for the higher ranks. Once she become Jounin, she will need a very clear reason why she want to retire and there will be many things that need to be done before they let her go.

Kakashi hummed, “You will need more training then. Decide on what path of the Shinobi specialty that you want to learn because I will not be able to plan your training regiment until you do so,”

Sakura looked at Naruto, “What about Naruto? I know that Sasuke will join the Military Police after he become Chuunin,”

Sasuke nodded, “His use of the clone for D-rank mission is just diabolical. Where was he the last 3 months?”

Naruto sighed, “I don’t really need training for babies. Beside, I spar with the Yondaime every morning for training. As for the clone,” He looked at them, “I was given permission to do solo missions,”

Sasuke scowled, “What? And you said that you will keep Hinata safe,”

Naruto smirked, “She’s in the village and with one of the Hokage’s best Shinobi as her teacher. So far, Kakashi have yet to disappoint me like the other one. So you don’t have to worry about me being far away from Hinata. If anything happen to her, my clone will inform me,”

At the others confused look, Kakashi explained, “Shadow Clone is a partially forbidden jutsu. Partially because those in Jounin or higher are taught the technique should they test to have enough chakra to sustain one without outright killing themselves. This is because unlike a normal clone, Shadow Clones are solid clone with a mostly autonomous sentience. As you have experienced. This is because to make something solid without an element to bulk up the rest, you will have to use an extraordinary amount of chakra to sustain its solidity. But at the same time, the clones are mostly used for intelligent gathering since whenever it disappear, any experience it have and even the memory of fatigue will be returned to the Shinobi who used it. So unless you are a chakra powerhouse like the Yondaime and Naruto, you could have easily died from using the Shadow Clone,”

Sakura turned pale and looked at a pouting Sasuke who said, “Does that mean I can’t learn that?”

Kakashi chuckled, “Not yet. It takes a lot more chakra than your Katon Jutsu and Sakura will just die if she tries, I’m afraid,”

Sakura asked, “Why is Naruto a powerhouse, anyway? I mean, he’s our age isn’t he?”

Naruto answered, “One; despite being blond I am still an Uzumaki. And we Uzumaki are known for being chakra powerhouses. Why do you think it took both Kiri and Kumo double pincer attack to destroy a single clan? Even then, they still end up losing the battle despite winning the war. The Uzumaki Clan is destroyed and most of the members that survived are either not on the island when it was attacked or scattered from a desperate escape, true. But not before crippling the military might of both Hidden Villages to the point of ending the 2^nd Shinobi War without a clear conclusion. Two; my early days training often ended with me almost dying like a fish too long on land. So that forces me to further expand my already substantial amount of chakra reserve. That said, you can train as crazily as you want but you will still come up short of a true blood Uzumaki. After all, I’m a mixed blood Uzumaki so you can just imagine how much stronger a true blood Uzumaki is like. But there are exceptions like the Senju who have been known to marry Uzumaki brides. The Uchiha have also taken in Uzumaki brides into their clan,”

Kakashi nodded before asking, “Didn’t you learn all this at the Academy?”

Sakura blinked, “We do but…not as in depth. I remember being taught about the Uzumaki Clan and their significance to the history of our village but…nothing about them being powerhouses and the likes,”

Sasuke asked, “What about the Hyuuga? Have they ever married an Uzumaki?”

Naruto shook his head, “The only time they did, the Hyuuga didn’t inherit the Byakugan so they decided that the Uzumaki’s blood over write theirs so they discouraged anyone from marrying the Uzumaki or any other clan with significant Kekkei Genkai. They even returned the child and the mother back to the clan,”

Sakura hummed, “I thought that clans don’t marry other people,”

Sasuke scrunched his nose, “We will be extinct if we do that. Haven’t you learn about genetic back at the Academy? Sakura, are you alright?”

Sakura grimaced, “I can’t help it! Things that I learn in the Academy feels useless outside of it!” She scowled, “Things I read feels so different from the things I’m learning now. Even I feel stupid too, you know?”

Kakashi blinked and rubbed his chin, “Well, if you feel stupid then that’s a good thing,” At her confused glare, he smiled at her, “That means you are ready to learn more things and what am I if not your teacher? Now, most women are not a frontline fighter or a chakra powerhouse. At least, not anyone who came from outside a clan and not immediately even if they come from a clan. But that means that you will have an easier time learning to fine tune your chakra as you increase your chakra capacity. This is why most Kunoichi chose to either be a medic or a Genjutsu specialist. It works well with what they have. But if you wish to be a frontline fighter, you need to be a Taijutsu specialist, Bukijutsu specialist, or a poison specialist. Once you are older and your chakra capacity have grown bigger, you can add Ninjutsu to that. Now, there are jutsu that doesn’t require much chakra but those are very niche and most clans who uses that never teach it to outsider. This is why I want you to decide what you want to specialize in so that I can plan your training around that specialty,”

Sakura blinked tearfully at Kakashi, “Sensei…so you do care…about me…”

Kakashi winced at her words. He didn’t mean to neglect her but he didn’t exactly know how to train her. She was a total blank slate. He knew that Hinata trained in Taijutsu and Bukijutsu due to her limitation. But she already have either Minato or Naruto to help her. He knew that Sasuke have his own family to help guide him where he needed to so he only need to teach the boy how to work in a team. Naruto already knew what he wanted to be and other than some guidance that was mostly Hinata, Kakashi didn’t exactly need to do more than keeping an eye on him. That left Sakura and he have been waiting for her to figure out what she want to do as a Kunoichi.

He didn’t mean to neglect her or anything.

After a nervous chuckle of guilt, he decided, “Why don’t you lot map the island? I’ll go talk with Tazuna about the current events and figure out where to go from there,”

Sasuke jumped to his feet, “Okay!”

He looked at Sakura, “Think about what you want to specialize in, alright? Then come to me and we’ll discuss where to go from there,”

Sakura wiped away her tears, “Okay. Thanks, Kakashi-sensei,”

Sasuke then blinked, looking around before looking at Kakashi, “Wait. Where’s Naruto?”

Kakashi cursed, “Can lift my eyes off of him for a second…you two guard the house. I’m going after him,”

Naruto walked over the roofs of the small fishing town. He looked at the empty streets and the bodies lying listless in the alleys. He took note of the men dragging a girl with them before pushing her down to spread her legs. She screeched as he didn’t spare a moment to thrust into her dry hole. He looked away only to see a small group of children pressing their hands over their mouth, tears streaming down their faces while the oldest of the group kept trembling hands over the ears of the smallest child. Face pale and eyes burning with hate.

“Where’s the fucking kids, bitch?”

“I don’t-! Ah! Ah! I don’t k-know! Ah! P-please s-stop! Ah!”

“Look at her pussy gripping me like crazy! Are you sure you’re 14? What a slut!”

“I-! Ah! Ah! Aaarrgghhh!! No! NO!! You are tearing me!! You are tearing me!!”

Naruto looked to see what cause her distress only to see another adult man penetrating her tiny hole. Blood streamed down her legs as she cried for them to stop. Naruto noticed the oldest child, at around 11 years of age, bit their lip so hard it bled.

“Fucking virgin. Screaming like a banshee,”

“Fuck. I’m coming!”

“Dude! You better not be sick! Oh, fuck. I’m coming too!”

Naruto watched as they finally pulled out of her, semen and blood flooding between her legs. The girl lay there, face pale and eyes wide with terror. The man smacked her playfully, saying, “You better not be pregnant, little bitch. Otherwise, they’ll just be an addition to the Boss’s products,”

Human trafficking.

Naruto quietly followed them to where he saw a large ship with thugs hanging around. He listened as the two rapists leered about another conquest.

“Pretty thin. Only her hole is fun,”

“Of course her hole is fun. Nothing been in there before us,”

The other thug sighed, “Are you people gay, stuffing both of your junks in one hole?”

The second rapist shrugged, “Better than stuffing myself inside a shit hole,”

They laughed as they walked into the ship. Naruto lingered near a shadow before grabbing a random target and stabbing them before they can scream. He then Henge himself into the dead man’s image. Smiling, he suppressed his chakra tightly, allowing just enough to hold his disguise. He then walked into the ship.

A few moments later, he came out covered in ashes. He looked at his Shadow Clone, “Keep up the image. Make yourself busy and steer clear of town,”

The ‘thug’ saluted before looking at the others to see the two rapists being thrown into the sea. Their bodies would be discovered. The culprit would be the thug that was once a father who lost his family to bandits, forced to watch his wife and daughter being treated a disposable toys. He had joined Gato only because he have nothing else to do after committing murder. Naruto made the clone pretending to be him leave a trail of escape before being ‘killed’, leaving his dead body to be found.

The Yamanaka’s family jutsu was really useful for these sorts of things.

Naruto moved back and found Kakashi scowling at him. He shrugged, “I destroyed the base of the thugs. Here. You might want to send these to the Yondaime,”

Kakashi looked at Naruto’s loots sealed inside a scroll before sighing, “At least inform me before you head out on you own,”

Chapter Text

Naruto stared at the bridge. He had seen the shadow of it and it was massive. He suspected that Tazuna had already started on the project long before Gato came and took over. At the moment, he was waiting for Minato to give him an order. After he informed Kakashi how he found their base of operation, though not Gato’s nest itself, he had on that familiar look of disapproval.

Then he said something that shed another light of what happened;

“What would you do had that girl been Hinata? These men are the sort of men that would accept the mission of kidnapping an innocent girl and sell her to the highest bidder. They are the kind of men that you should be wary of. And even though we are Shinobi, we need to be able to hold onto our moral and that means stepping in before that girl was raped, Naruto. There are other ways to find that ship,”

Naruto cursed his shortsightedness. He had acted like a ROOT operative. He had acted the exact way that the Cripple would expect of him. Fury tasted bitter in the back of his throat as he dreamed of those men tormenting Hinata over and over. Hatred that had long turned to ashes after he killed Danzo reignited with a vengeance and he spent that early morning using a whip made of vines to whip himself as punishment. He even asked the fox to not heal the injuries and to let him scar. It will be a reminder to not behave like a ROOT drone.

It could have been Hinata in that girl’s place.

And if she heard of what he had done, the cruelty of not acting, she would have been disgusted and sad with him. His Hinata was so soft hearted, after all. Unlike him, despite her Kunoichi steel spine, she was all too human. Her heart was worn on her sleeves. Bleeding and weeping for a wretched creature like him.

“I’m a monster,”

Tazuna, who was pissed that another one of his able bodied worker had decided to call quit, challenged death, “You just noticed that?”

Naruto looked at him but Tazuna ignored him, focused with hammering the bridge. He used the slotting technique, a complicated puzzle woodworking that proofed his mastery of his passion. Sakura had asked the men a thousand or so question and Tazuna was happy enough to explain to her about his woodworking until one of his men quit. In fact, Tazuna was the only person working on the bridge.

Naruto said, “Hey,”

Tazuna grunted at him, “What?”

Naruto asked, “If I help you, will you agree to a name I chose?”

Tazuna hummed, “That will depend on what kind of name,”

Naruto smirked, “Oh. It’s a wonderful name,”

A few days later, he followed Tazuna home to see Sakura sitting at the root of a tree, legs shaking as she breathed hard. Sasuke stood upside down on a branch’s underside, doing squats. Sweats dripped down from his head as he focused fighting gravity. Nearby was Kakashi, reading his smut.

He asked, “What’s up?”

Kakashi answered, “Sasuke,”

Naruto blinked before looking at a pale faced Sakura. It seemed that she have been training her chakra since morning. He then looked at Sasuke, “Oi. Duck butt!”

Sasuke scowled at him, “What?”

Naruto asked, “Have you awaken your Sharingan?”

Sasuke shook his head, “Haven’t been able to. Why do you ask?”

Naruto smiled, “I know for a fact that a Sharingan can only be awaken when you are emotionally charged. Medics referred to that as chakra trauma that somehow trigger something in your brain. A survival instinct, so to say. So how about I help you with that?”

Kakashi looked at Naruto, “Please don’t traumatize him,”

Naruto shrugged, “Can’t promise you that. Trauma is literally the answer here,”

Sasuke dropped, flipping midair so that he stood on the ground, and said, “How will you do that?”

Naruto pointed a thumb at the forest, “Just survive me in the forest. I promise I won’t dismember you or put you inside a fancy urn,”

Sasuke glared at him, “I don’t trust that smile at all,”

Naruto brightened, “Aw~! Hinata like my smile though?”

Sasuke knew that. Hinata did mentioned that. He just didn’t like the way Naruto looked at her when she wasn’t looking at him. Having siblings, he knew that the way Naruto looked at her was not the way siblings look at each other. It was why Sasuke tried to spend more time with her. But somehow Naruto would always cause enough mess to sabotage any friendly attempts on Sasuke’s part. And the worse part?

He didn’t like that whenever Naruto came anywhere near her vicinity, Hinata’s vision seemed to tunnel around the blond. Everyone else seemed to disappear when it came to Naruto. It frustrated him like nothing else.

Then again, Itachi had teased him; he was so used to being chased that he didn’t know what to do about chasing.

So with a determined grunt, he accepted.

But maybe he should have thought twice about accepting Naruto’s invitation to help him get his Sharingan.

Did he really need to sing that creepy song in the dark forest with the fog and the shadow?!

Ring a ring a roses

A pocket full of posies

Atishoo, atishoo

We all fall down

Ring a ring a roses

A pocket full of posies

Atishoo, atishoo

We all fall down

The jump scares.

The childish giggle.

The dashing speed and random speed attacks.

Naruto made sure that every bone attacks were missed by a few inches, forcing Sasuke to keep up and stay paranoid. Especially when he remembered what being hit by the bone will do to him. What the hell kind of sure kill Kekkei Genkai was this anyway?!

When Naruto started using his solid clones all over the branches of the forest, Sasuke felt like a prey being played by a predator. Avoiding more bones stabbing down from the high branches and catching glimpses of yellow followed by more softly sung creepy lullabies that shouldn’t be creepy at all, Sasuke decided that Naruto was nothing but a nightmare.

A bone almost nailed him between the legs, “Fuck!”

By the time dinner came around, Sasuke’s Sharingan had fully awakened. He was happy when the first tomoe appeared but then Naruto just kept going until his chakra forced more tomoe to appear until his Sharingan was completed in each eyes. After that, Naruto forced him to get used to his eyes by continuously jump scaring him with those stupid bone attacks and random Taijutsu exchange.

Sasuke dragged himself back to Tazuna’s place while Naruto was whistling happily. The blond opened the door with a proud grin like he owned the place and declared, “Done and dusted! Well, not dusted. He’s still alive…” He looked at the pale faced Sasuke, “Barely,”

Sasuke flipped at bird at him, “Screw you,”

Naruto stuck out a tongue at him cheekily.

Tsunami didn’t understand what happened between the two other than some obscure Shinobi training, so she warmly called them, “Come on in. Dinner’s ready,”

As they sat around the table and accepted the still warm meal of rice and fish with foraged bird eggs, Sakura and Sasuke exchanged training ideas with Kakashi putting in his own opinion here and there. Then Sakura beamed, “This is fun!”

The boy that have been doing nothing but stare at them frowned, “There’s nothing fun about that. You’re all going to die,”

Naruto chewed his food, “Been there. Done that. More than once. Didn’t care to buy souvenir,”

The boy stared at him in silence before saying, “You’re crazy,”

Naruto smiled, “Never have I ever said that I’m sane,”

Tazuna cleared his throat, “Inari. Just eat,”

Sasuke snorted, “He’s the murder hobo of the team. What do you expect?”

Sakura fidgeted, looking around to change the uncomfortable subject as Tsunami stood behind Inari, her hands on his shoulders, squeezing with warning. She then noticed the weird picture, “S-so…why is that picture like that?”

Naruto looked at the mentioned picture and remembered something, “Probably the guy that was executed at the town’s park. The stage is still there and the blood is still staining the ground. Did this island get no rain or something? Or maybe it is just that brutal,”

Kakashi cleared his throat, “Naruto. Have some tact,”

Naruto put away his polished bowl, “I think that brat doesn’t need anymore tact than was already given. A slap of reality would probably do him wonders. I mean,” He looked at the boy with an eerie flat look in his eyes, “Do you want to die? Your mom don’t even need to cremate you. She just need to prepare an urn for you,”

Tsunami wrapped her arms around her trembling son, “N-no. We are fine!”

Kakashi stood up, “Naruto,”

Naruto stood up too, “I’m going to wash,”

Once the blond disappeared from the kitchen, Sakura looked at Kakashi, “What is wrong with him?”

Kakashi sighed, “You will have to ask the Hokage,”

Sakura frowned, “I thought he was just a random orphan that the Hokage took pity on,”

Kakashi smiled, “You would, won’t you?”

Meanwhile, Naruto sat in a tree. Hidden as he watched the people working for Gato moving around the sprawling mansion that he had built in a bayou forest. Crocodiles swam around between the roots of the bayou trees, eyes blinking as it stared at the atrocities that was happening inside. Drugs and sex were always happening in the random rooms. The men joked around, calling it training for the drugged women taken from the fishing town. In a separate room were more women and young girls.

Products.

Sex trafficking was always a favorite. But that wasn’t why Gato decided to ‘settle’ in Nami. The forge was always burning as young boys were made to forge them weapons. Made to be sold to the pirates haunting the water of Mizu. From what he had listened in, they were sold off by their own family for clearing drug debts. Drugs that were made in the kitchen right next to luxurious food while the people of Nami starved.

The scummiest type of humans.

He noted the few Shinobi walking in and around the building. A few bodies of the women and boys that died from overdose or too much sex or from being tortured for fun were scattered among the crocodiles waiting under the roots.

Kakashi’s words haunted Naruto as he watched all the madness going on before him.

He almost suffered from delusions of Hinata’s body and limbs being snapped up by the crocodiles below.

These men must die.

A day later, he helped Tazuna slotted in yet another plank of wood to finish the bridge’s deck. Sasuke and Sakura were sparring on the rippling water of the sea below. As he pulled the wagon full of unused material back to the land, a hawk screeched up high. Naruto looked up and whistled a special tune. The hawk flew down and landed on his forearm. Naruto looked to see a black scroll being attached to its leg.

Opening the scroll, there was nothing written but a single red dot.

Naruto smirked, “Finally,”

That evening, Naruto handed the scroll to Kakashi. The man blinked at the black scroll with a single red dot. He looked at Naruto, standing on the pier by the house and looking at a direction, “Sensei gave you a Blank?”

Naruto nodded, “Yeah,”

Kakashi hummed, “What do you need?”

Naruto looked at him, “Go and handle Zabuza,”

When the clone disappeared, Kakashi cursed and went inside the house. Handing an order to keep Tazuna and his family safe to the other two, he chased after Naruto. By the time he arrived, ashes were floating all over the bayou’s water. He entered the mansion and found more ashes. If there was one thing he learned about Naruto, it was that the boy was very good with ambush attacks. There were seals on certain doors and from the spiral drawn at the bottom, it was an Uzumaki seal. Kakashi will not mess with the seal.

An Uzumaki Fuuinjutsu traps weren’t something he was prepared for.

He soon heard Zabuza cursing along with a few other new voices. Looking into Gato’s office, apparently, Kakashi almost got his head pierced by a bone. He avoided the bone and lowered his body, throwing kunai at the extra Nuke-nin that Gato had apparently hired to back up Zabuza. He then attacked the swordsman himself.

Zabuza cursed, stuck with a dagger instead of using the too large cleaver on his back, “Where the hell did you get a Kaguya with mutation?!”

Kakashi shrugged, “Ask the Hokage. I didn’t find him,”

Or made him for that matter; he thought.

Gato was hidden behind mirrors of ice, whimpering and trying to bargain with Naruto. One Shinobi was taken out, ashes scattered all over the floor. A few of the other Nuke-nin cursed, “This was supposed to be a fucking easy job! Zabuza was supposed deal with the Copycat while we kill off everyone else!”

Naruto landed on the ceiling upside down, laughing at him, “You would think that, won’t you?”

A bone was shot at the man and he avoided the shot. But then Naruto disappeared and three more Nuke-nin turned to ashes as he landed right in the middle of their formation.

Zabuza’s eyes widened, “Was that-?!”

Kakashi grumbled, “Why did Sensei have to teach him that?”

Naruto landed in front of the mirror shields, “Consider it my family’s legacy,” He then tilted his head, “Oi, shark head!”

Zabuza twitched after kicking Kakashi away from him and attacked Naruto to force him away from the mirror and the client, snarling, “What?” Naruto threw him a paper shuriken. When it only stick itself on the mirror’s surface and nothing else, Zabuza frowned, “What’s this?”

Naruto smirked, “We did some digging around. I mean, with so many thugs, why did he want to hire you? Those number could have easily overwhelmed a Genin Squad, you know? Well, normal one, that is. And we discovered something interesting. Did you know that a number of Nuke-nin that have gone missing were related to being hired by Gato? Now run that hamster in the wheel,”

Zabuza frowned and took the paper shuriken. Unraveling the origami, he read the list of names. Shinobi who deserted their villages and took on missions with high payment. Zabuza have heard of the mysterious disappearance of such Shinobi. He knew a few of them. They took on Gato’s request and…poof. Never seen or heard from ever again. Not even at the bounty stops.

Retiring wasn’t in the card. These men were young and healthy and too murder happy or too desperate for money to settle in any random village for a slow life. And if they did, they would have been caught and they would have heard from other Nuke-nin as warning. There would have been signs from their village of origin too. After all, they were wanted and the village have yet to take off the bounty from the Bingo Book.

He looked at Naruto, “Why are you sharing this information?”

Naruto grinned, “The Yondaime want an in with the rebellion going on in Mizu. After all, Kiri took some of his late wife’s clan’s things. In exchange for help from Konoha, he wants the things that Kiri took from the Uzumaki Raid returned to him. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

Zabuza hummed, “So…the famous Yellow Flash is willing to throw in his cards into the civil war in Kiri?”

Naruto shrugged, “An unstable Mizukage like your Yondaime was no neighbor he wants to keep,”

Zabuza stared at him, “Are you going to join in then, little Kaguya?”

Naruto laughed, “Hell no! I’m an Uzumaki myself, you know? Why would I want to risk my limb helping you people who killed my clan? But…the Yondaime have a good reason. A neighbor that owed him something would make any alliance between the two villages go smoother. So how about it?”

Zabuza fell silent. He then said, “I want proof that he won’t stab me in the back,”

Naruto grinned, “That can be arranged,” He then added, “Besides, Terumi Mei’s grandfather was an Uzumaki prisoner in Kiri once back during the 2^nd Shinobi War. This have been confirmed by the Toad Sage,”

Zabuza pursed his lips, “So…Konoha already have people infiltrating Kiri?”

Naruto shrugged, “Maybe,”

Zabuza stared him down before grinning, “Haku!”

Gato screamed, “Wait! You don’t really believe him, do you?! I mean, he’s here to kill us, isn’t he?!”

Zabuza turned to see Gato’s head sticking out of the ice barrel that his helped made around his body, confining him, “Think I won’t notice your…trophies? I thought one of the girls you are ‘training’ looked familiar. She was a deserter from Nadeshiko, now that my suspicion have been confirmed. And that boy spitting Katon non-stop at your forge? He’s someone from another Shinobi village. From his chopped off legs, I suspected that he was a survivor of your backstabbing. Also, I learned something interesting the other day,” He lifted Kubikiribocho off his back, “You have been supplying both parties on this war, haven’t you? But since I’m hired by you, I can’t exactly go against my contract. But now that I have proofs that you will not honor our agreement, I have no reason to keep you around,”

Gato didn’t even have time to scream as his head flew off.

Zabuza kicked the fallen head over to Naruto, “There. Proof. Now, you know how it is. Give me proof that the Hokage will back up his promises,”

Naruto threw him a kunai. Zabuza caught it and his eyes widened as he realized that it was one of Minato’s famous kunai. He looked at Naruto, understanding what the boy was handing him. The seal on the kunai might be encrypted but it could still be deciphered by their own people. Chancing them using the Hokage’s own famous jutsu against him. He put the kunai safely in his pouch before nodding at Naruto.

Kakashi followed the blond out as he tore off the seals he had placed on the doors. He then turned to the scarecrow, “The living products are behind this door. You will have to deal with them. As you said, I lack tact,” He sighed, “I don’t know how to talk to people as broken as them. Anything I say will just be mockery to them,”

Kakashi watched as Naruto left the building. He looked to the side to see Zabuza with a bag of money. The man grunted, “Kid’s not right in the head, is he? What the hell did Konoha do to him?”

Kakashi shook his head, “Not Konoha. He was already like that when he met the Hokage,”

Zabuza snorted, “He’s more twisted in the head than me. Anyway, here,” He handed the bag to Kakashi, “I guess I owe that old man an apology for making things worse. Tell him to use that money to rebuild the island. Kiri could use a trading port between Mizu and Hi,”

Kakashi laughed with a hollow sound, “That will have to be between those two crack heads at the top,”