The Next Day - A Dream?
[ X ]
Where was he?
Surrounded by grassy plains with a set of misty mountains in the distance, Naruto stood confused. How did he end up here? The last thing he remembered was escorting Ellen back home and returning to his apartment to play some games on his retro game station...
"Did I fall asleep?" Naruto muttered, combing his hair as he scanned the plains, considering this was a dream.
It made sense. He hadn't heard of a place like this anywhere around New Eridu. The Outer Ring was a wasteland after multiple apocalyptic scenarios had befallen this world. The people of this world just couldn't catch a break. The only problem with that was that this place felt too real. The grass beneath his feet felt just as he remembered when he was little.
That recognition caused Naruto's gaze to sharpen. Could this be...
"No, that's stupid," Naruto laughed off the thought that this was his old home. The ideal was laughable. There wasn't a tree in sight.
There wasn't anything in sight! The only things that stood out were the mountains far in the distance. There wasn't even a person! There wasn't a single animal!
"Yeah, gotta be a dream," Naruto strolled through the plains, whistling as he did. "Gotta say, this is one of the weirdest dreams I've had. My mind can come up with some pretty strange..." Naruto's words drifted, stopping in place.
In the distance, he could clearly see a massive silhouette. One he recognized, for while the creature remained silent and distant from him, Naruto had seen him in that strange place.
The Nine-Tailed Fox was simply sitting in the middle of this grassy plain.
But that couldn't be. This place wasn't the seal barrier domain between Naruto's mind and the fox, from what Kurenai estimated the place to be, from what she recalled about learning previous vessels. That place reminded him of the sewers beneath New Eridu. Yet, this didn't feel like a dream. All the sensations he felt reminded him of that place.
What was going on?
Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and approached regardless. He needed to investigate this circumstance further. Upon his approach, it was evident that the Nine Tails noticed him. The content expression on the fox's features twisted into a disdainful sneer as it lifted its gigantic head. It snarled at him, acting as if it was about to pounce as it stood on all fours.
And unexpectedly, it turned its back and snorted. Naruto stopped in his tracks. His gaze steadily focused as the Nine Tail walked away without incident.
The snort and glare of disdain didn't surprise him. The Nine Tails was anything but amicable toward him. If anything, it was on par with what he expected. He could feel the raw hatred the creature possessed, despite the creature never having said a word.
It was the fox retreating, ignoring his existence. Naruto had thought the fox would devour him if it ever had the chance. If this place were like the buffer domain, why wouldn't he take the opportunity?
In spite of that reaction, that wasn't what stopped Naruto's approach. It was the person who had been standing before the Nine Tails, turning to face him with a smile on his face.
And had they been stroking his muzzle?
Naruto stared owlishly at the man in white with short, spiky brown locks. Naruto was unable to say a word in this strange predicament. The man simply continued to smile, his gaze never wavering.
"Mah, who are you?" Naruto glowered at the man wearing a white cloak.
A cloak that felt somehow familiar. Naruto had sworn he had seen it before. Was it in one of those bedtime stories the matron of Konoha's orphanage used to tell?
It kind of looked like it.
Much to Naruto's chagrin, the man didn't answer. He just kept smiling!
He was seriously pissing him off! If he didn't say something...
Naruto's attention was drawn towards the silent man raising his right arm. He momentarily tensed, not sure what to expect, but he relaxed as it was evident the man meant no harm. His aura seemed so... Calming...
"What?" Naruto expressed disbelief as the man displayed his palm for Naruto to see. His eyes glistened, checking his right palm in disbelief before looking back up to confirm what he was seeing.
It was the same mark. This man had the same birthmark Naruto had?
However, when he glanced back up, the man had vanished. The field had begun to dissipate, and his vision became foggy.
And all he heard was an annoyed sigh of someone he had just recently met.
"I'm supposed to teach this lazy ass kid?"
[ X ]
Same Day, Afternoon - Naruto's Apartment
[ X ]
"Ugh..." Naruto groaned, lying head tilted back on the couch, lifting his head and blinking his eyes repeatedly. Everything was hazing, but Naruto had a general idea of what was going on.
Naruto had seen his new sensei in his vision as he uncomfortably woke from whatever that dream was. Honestly, it felt a little too real. He would have to talk to Kurenai about it.
His gaze fell upon a face-masked shinobi giving Naruto an annoyed stare, brow raised as he looked down on him. Naruto returned the look with an irate stare of his own, seeing a new basket of fruit on his counter. "So you have been the one sneaking in here all this time."
"Your diet is lousy. You can't live on eating mostly ramen daily. And I'm not talking about the Waterfall, but this instant crap. The only reason you can live eating this is because of the fox inside you and the resiliency of the Uzumaki blood. And I'll be honest, while Kushina loved ramen, she didn't eat this much of this junk." Kakashi lambasted Naruto with a lone eye scowl.
"Ha ha. It's not like I've heard that a thousand times over." Naruto mocked, as he slowly stood up, freezing momentarily at the part about his mother and ramen. He smiled thinly, repressing the urge to chuckle, before his expression dimmed.
He'd never get a chance to share a bowl with his mother.
Glowering as he stood up, Naruto gave Kakashi a nasty look. "What are you doing here?"
"To train you," Kakashi replied with a slight edge.
"Eh?" Naruto lifted his brow, showing some hesitancy. "In the afternoon on a weekday..."
"On a day you aren't at school due to Obito. You probably aren't heading to work as they gave you the day off. And from my information, they're still in the Hollow and haven't returned yet." Kakashi's mask crinkled into a scowl while he crossed his arms over his chest. "So get your gear and your butt moving."
"It's time I showed you a thing or two."
[ X ]
An Hour Later - A Nearby Park
[ X ]
Naruto had to say Kakashi's training was intense.
One hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and various other typical workout exercises were nothing. Doing them again while sticking to a vertical wall or hanging off the roof wasn't too trying. A run around the park for an hour, fine. Climbing a makeshift rock wall that Kakashi rigged using the side of the apartment building once, using one hand each time... Without the use of chakra.
A little crazy, but doable.
Walking upright and doing laps around the park while doing a handstand immediately after... What insane psychopath came up with this exercise?! His arms were burning!
"Now that we're done with warm-ups," Kakashi chirped, reveling in the steamed glare Naruto was giving him. He held up his hands and mildly chuckled. "Mah, I'm joking! Take five and then we'll start with the lesson."
Naruto released a sigh of relief. Taking out a protein bar and a bottle of water from his pouch, Kakashi lifted his brow, showing a hint of surprise, as Naruto took a bite but said nothing. Kakashi could think what he wanted. Naruto knew how to fuel his body.
However, Naruto squinted and glanced at him. "Mah, you have the same tick? How is that?"
"It's learned in my case." Kakashi shrugged, looking back at Naruto before giving him an eye smile. "Picked it up from your mother's use of it. She had several verbal tics. I got so used to hearing it, I picked them up. That one I simply kept as I liked it."
"Mom... Said that?" Naruto's features faltered momentarily before he softly chuckled. "Heh, didn't think verbal ticks were genetic."
"Oh, they are, ya know?" Kakashi smirked, deliberately poking fun at Naruto.
"That's from mom, too, dammit!" Naruto snarled and stomped his foot before seeing the wrinkle in Kakashi's mouth further increase. "No, no, no. That's not one either!"
"Yup." Kakashi momentarily snickered before his lax stance became more rigid and his expression serious. "Time to get back to work. Allow me to show you what it is that I will be teaching you."
Frowning, still agitated by the several realizations he had discovered about himself, Naruto carefully watched Kakashi pull up his right arm. Naruto had a flashback to the dream he had before, but thankfully, it didn't follow the same pattern. Kakashi simply held out his hand, palm facing outward.
Nothing happened at first, but Naruto's eyes quickly caught something noteworthy. The air around Kakashi's hand began to stir, and with a strained gaze, Naruto could see wisps of yellow chakra circling and beginning to spiral in Kakashi's hand. It slowly began to take shape, trying to form a sphere. It was certainly sphere-shaped, but it often spiraled inconsistently, becoming oblong.
"This is one of your father's signature techniques, one he made himself, one I have yet to master. The one he is most famous for, the Rasengan." Kakashi stated, holding the orb for a while longer before letting it dissipate.
"The Rasengan..." Naruto muttered in awe, watching the spiraling orb fade away. Even if it was years ago and his memory was spotty, he recalled hearing of the legendary techniques of the Fourth Hokage.
The man was a legend... A legend that just so happened to be his father.
Naruto scrunched his face as a thought came to him. "I might not remember much from Konoha, but I thought the technique that earned him the nickname The Yellow Flash was the one that made him famous."
"Yes, that technique is what Sensei was most well known for." Kakashi nodded in Naruto's assessment. With a shake of his head, he placed his hand on his hip. "However, the Flying Thunder God was not created by Minato-sensei but Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. Sensei improved it and made it viable to be used by a single person. The Rasengan was his own creation, and it was the way he finished a fight against powerful opponents. It was so powerful he did not waste it on lesser opposition, sticking to the basics to eliminate them."
Naruto stood, mouth slightly agape, in utter awe. He was unaware of either! Sure, he was barely five when he heard most of those things... Regardless, seeing Kakashi's chakra visible to the naked eye was something he had never heard of!
...Again, considering the Hollow swallowed him and a lot of other nearby shinobi when he was five, it wasn't like he knew much about shinobi... But the fact remained that he wanted to be able to do that! Naruto could only imagine using his Father's legacy to obliterate a powerful Ethereal with a single strike of his chakra! It was a dream come true! He had to learn it!
"It's not as simple as I just made it look like," Kakashi's gaze narrowed at Naruto's giddiness. "Only one other person has ever managed to replicate Sensei's technique successfully, and he didn't get dragged here with the rest of us. I am still stuck on the final stage before I can say I have mastered it after all these years."
Naruto shrank away and grimaced. If Kakashi, his father's student, hadn't learned the technique after all these years... It had to be difficult.
"That makes it all the better then! I'll figure it out before you and show you just how capable I am." Naruto snapped with a grin, holding his fist as he met Kakashi's gaze.
From the moment he had met the man, Naruto could see that Kakashi looked down on him. He could see it in his eyes! Maybe Naruto didn't live up to his expectations. That he wasn't his father or mother... Though from what little he heard already from Kakashi, Naruto had a lot of traits from her...
Perhaps there was some sort of deep resentment Kakashi held about him...
Naruto wasn't sure the reason, but it didn't matter! If this were what it took to prove to Kakashi that whatever misconception he had of him was wrong, he would find a way to accomplish it...
Even if he didn't know where to start learning his father's technique.
"Is that so?" Kakashi's mask quivered, and his lone eye twinkled. From nowhere, Kakashi pulled out two balloons. One full of air, one filled with water, and handed the one with water to Naruto.
"Eh, what am I supposed to do with this?" Naruto blinked, staring awkwardly at Kakashi.
"I thought it would be simple. Do you not know the basics of how to channel your chakra?" Kakashi mocked, causing Naruto to smolder, holding out his balloon. "The exercise is to use your chakra to spin the water around in the balloon until you can make it pop... Like that." Kakashi demonstrated, then rolled his eyes as his balloon filled with air popped. "Once you've done that, we can move to the next stage."
"To the balloon?" Naruto asked, generally curious after quickly digesting his instructions, having a vague idea of what comes next.
"No, this is for me and is the last stage of the technique. The next stage will be popping a rubber ball with raw power." Kakashi wagged his finger, meeting Naruto's gaze. "I want to make a bet with you. If you can learn all three stages before I can finish mastering the last stage, you'll earn my respect. I'll throw in leaving you alone about your diet."
"...And in return?" Naruto narrowed his gaze, knowing this bet was already lopsided.
He knew better than to accept bad terms. Naruto had learned his lesson... Nicole made him learn his lesson with how many times she abused his generosity.
Kakashi's mask crinkled into a wider smile. "Well, you see, knowing your profession, I have happened to hear of the clients you serve. And there is one in particular that you see monthly, I would like to get to know better. A famous one, if you catch my drift."
"You mean go on a date... No. That's something I'm not allowed to do. I'd lose my job." Naruto growled.
Kakashi was pushing his buttons. That was one of the more important rules of the Victoria Housekeeping Company. It was a part of providing them safety and security!
"Ah, at least you have some integrity. Fair enough. I respect that." Kakashi nodded approvingly, poking Naruto's buttons to see how he ticked. "Fine, if I win, set me upon a date with your head maid, deal?"
"With Rina?!" Naruto recoiled, eyes flickering wide.
"Mah, is that a problem?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
"No, I accept," Naruto shook his head, nervously chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head. As Kakashi's gaze narrowed further, wanting an explanation, Naruto continued to laugh. "Uh, but if you win, just a word of advice."
"For your sake, don't eat Rina's cooking. Trust me."
[ X ]
The Next Morning, In Between Classes - New Eridu Flats High School, Hallway
[ X ]
Ellen did not want to be at school today. Usually, she didn't want to be, but she had a valid reason. There was a mad shinobi who was threatening her childhood friend and those close to him.
She had the right to be miffed and upset! It didn't just involve him! It involved everyone in his life!
...that wasn't what bothered Ellen, however. All of her concern was directed toward him and how he was handling the situation. Unfortunately, he was very good at hiding what he felt. That was something they both shared. Outwardly, Naruto wasn't allowing it to show that it bothered him all that much besides the expected anger.
Ellen knew him better than that. She caught the moments where he slipped and showed how he genuinely felt.
And that was the reason she wanted to skip class today. She was half tempted to find one of her usual spots where she slept and force Naruto's hand. However, they had midterms today. They couldn't skip those.
Not with their grades.
At least she was doing somewhat comfortably and could skip a day when she needed... Somehow, Naruto was doing worse than she was in class.
...Ellen didn't try... Her school friends gave her the answers most of the time.
"Are you okay, Ellen?" The voice of Ruby, one of Ellen's friends, caught Ellen as she opened her locker, putting away her books, having no use for them for the day.
And Ellen didn't want to carry something she didn't need. They were dead weight.
"You look off. Is something the matter? Did something happen yesterday?" Monna added, flanking Ruby, looking worried.
"Oh, is it another Naruto situation?" Lynn chipped in, rolling her eyes. "Girl, there are other, better fish out there. He's nothing but trouble."
"Huh?" Ellen glanced over at the three, shaking her head at Ruby and Monna's question. "I'm fine..." Ellen's eyes sharpened before she took a breath, knowing Lynn had her issues with Naruto and what she perceived as their toxic 'are they, aren't they' relationship. When Naruto wasn't the topic of conversation, she genuinely liked Lynn. "No, he's not. He's been my friend since we were five."
"Oh, but you don't deny it was about him this time." Lynn frowned before sighing. "Let me guess, you skipped to get some sun and sleep, and the creep stalked you and watched over you."
"He watches over me with my consent. I know nothing will happen if he's there." Ellen snapped, her anger rising, and she slammed her locker shut.
"Ellen? Is something wrong?" Monna worriedly asked while Lynn flinched at the rare display of annoyance from Ellen.
"I've... I've got a lot of things on my mind." Ellen bit her lip, mentally scolding herself for her outburst, which had drawn the attention of other students. Thinking of a lie to mix with facts they would know, Ellen exhaled and blandly glanced at her friends. "He's just one of the troublesome things that is bothering me right now. We've got exams, I've got work, and now Naruto has volunteered to help me with the stalker I have."
"A stalker?" Ruby's voice rose an octave before she covered her mouth.
"Yeah, one of those kids from another school that always pops up to take pictures with me. The police said it was a little more devious than I had thought." Ellen flat-out lied while using information her friends were aware of.
People on the streets tended to stop and gawk at Ellen for her unique appearance.
"Oh..." Lynn grimaced, her eyes widening before she bit her lip. "Okay, maybe having someone like him around to deal with that is a good thing..."
"Right? No one messes with him. I almost feel bad for the guy if he does show his face." Monna laughed, shaking her head and grimacing as the bell for the next period rang. "You're gonna have to fill us in on the details at lunch. Gotta run!"
"Yeah, sure..." Ellen rolled her eyes, biting back a curse.
Great, now she had to come up with a cover story. More work that she didn't want! Things couldn't get any...
"Cute cover." The voice of another female student made Ellen's skin crawl and her heart race.
Snapping around, a look of concerned confusion crossed her features. No one was there.
Her immediate thought had jumped to the idea that that man had snuck into the school to toy with her specifically. She couldn't put it past him, considering what Ellen heard he had done to Rina at work. And, much to her chagrin, she knew ninjas could throw their pitch and change their form.
Naruto had that prank technique he used to like—the perverted one, which first got him in trouble with Qingyi all those years ago... And then Lycaon and Kurenai...
And worst of all, Rina, considering he used her proportions for the technique.
But the more Ellen scanned the crowd of students, the less she suspected it was. If a new student transferred in during exams, there would be whispers and rumors about it. She hadn't heard anything...
Opening her locker, Ellen took out her phone and sent a message to Naruto. She knew he kept his phone discreetly on his person. She only hoped he would get the text before the exam.
Ellen had a bad feeling about this.
[ X ]
Further down the School Hallway, Out of Sight
[ X ]
"Silly girl," A rat Thiren snickered under her breath, sliding through the student crowd unnoticed. She naturally blended in, and no one gave her a second glance. No one ever did. "You'll never find me."
Marveling in the panic her target's friend had displayed, Jane Doe smirked to herself. This was going to be a fun job. Her employer would be very happy to see such chaos in the report.
Perhaps there would be a bonus if she made Ellen's life miserable.
[ X ]
Meanwhile - Sakura Street
[ X ]
Today had been a hectic morning.
To start the shift, a routine traffic stop turned into a bust when Zhu Yuan noticed an unusual amount of equipment in the back. Turned out the person she stopped was trafficking weapons out to the Outer Rim.
That alone was concerning, but she had been on patrol around Sakura Street, having requested the jurisdiction. Zhu Yuan and Qingyi wanted it so they could gather more intel from the source about this suspect who had been stalking Naruto.
Zhu Yuan stuck to the streets, stopping and questioning any shinobi she came across while Qingyi spoke with their boss. It was frustrating how little information Zhu Yuan could gather about this Obito Uchiha.
It was a tough task. The shinobi here were a tight-lipped bunch. However, it seemed they were instructed to give the information they had, which wasn't much. The intel Zhu Yuan had received was that the Uchiha name was that of a renowned clan back where they were from, and that no individual from that clan had been caught in the Hollow.
And given she knew this man had attacked Naruto alone, it mostly ruled out the possibility of other co-conspirators. Mostly.
A lot of the shinobi here didn't seem to enjoy hearing Naruto's name. It was curious that Naruto hadn't been a part of this community since the incident. Why would there be such disdain for him amongst the shinobi? He was five when he was. What could a five-year-old do to piss off so many people?
Ugh, that was trouble. It didn't narrow her options in the slightest. It left one person as her viable option to find.
The problem with that was that Kakashi Hatake was like a phantom, very much like the ghost of a suspect they were chasing. Like their suspect, there was little information about them. Kakashi had a little more, mostly being given an address, but it seemed he was quite private and didn't talk much with his fellow shinobi.
That address was about the only information she had on Kakashi. Finding him was going to be a pain. He wasn't at his apartment. He wasn't with his boss. Zhu Yuan began to suspect he was keeping an eye on Naruto while seeking out Obito himself to deliver his own version of justice from the very little intel she had picked up on him.
He was loyal to the mission and to his Sensei's legacy.
Zhu Yuan sighed. She could understand his motive. However, whether the situation merited such extreme judgment or not, it wasn't his place to deliver while living in New Eridu. It was theirs...
"Who's calling me?" Zhu Yuan frowned, stopping at the street corner. Retrieving her phone, her eyes wavered, noticing it was Naruto's number. She swiftly answered. "Naruto, what's wrong... Hold on. Take a breath and explain to me what happened. Who whispered in Ellen's ear, and what do you mean they disappeared?"
"Never mind. I'm on the way."