Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There have always been words written on people's skin, what others think about them painting their flesh like an open canvas, free reign. They fade after a few days, replaced by others, but some, depending on how strongly the thinker feels, stay longer. He's still not quite sure how the timing of it all works exactly.

Naruto's noticed it since he was a little kid, always wondered what they were and how they got there, and Teuchi, the kind old man at the ramen stand, is the one who finally explains it to him. He'd already guessed that that was why he had all these words written on him, the rest of the villagers, too, but he didn't know for sure. Of course, how anyone could not notice something like words appearing on their skin as if written with one of the fancy ink brushes the adults and older kids use, he doesn't know.

It's all really interesting, in his opinion – at least, that's how he feels at first. Until he gets a little older and learns to read, learns what all the mean, awful, hateful things on his body say. He's sad and hurt and devastated, not understanding why, what he'd done to make them all hate him so much besides exist. He cries for hours, so much and so hard that he makes himself sick and eventually cries himself to sleep, the cycle repeating for days. He wishes he could unsee them, unread them, wipe them from his memory entirely. He wishes...he wishes a lot of things. The words hurt so much more than all the glares and name-calling and beatings combined. Every one is like a knife to his heart.

It isn't long after that that he starts pranking the villagers. Not because their words on his skin are fading one by one, faster and faster, and he's terrified of being forgotten, of being even more alone than he already is, of being no one to them—though that is part of it. He starts doing it because...at least this way, he has a reason he can name for why they hate him.

Because otherwise...he doesn't have one, and somehow, that's so much worse.

The thoughts littering his skin—monster, trash, demon, unclean, murderer, just die already, and so many more—have never offered any clues (at least none that make sense), and every time he tried to ask someone when he was younger, they'd ignore him, glare at him, whisper about him, or punish him somehow (usually physically, though he's gotten better at evading as he's grown, and he's even faster than some of the adult ninja now!), so he's long stopped trying. He hates how they look at him especially. It's usually while they're doing that that the worst words come, he's found. He just...wants to get their attention off of whatever they hate about him so much by...well, giving them something else about him to hate, something he can control, something he can put a name to for once.

For the first time, really.

Honestly? Even for all the harsh beatings and rude whispers and scornful looks he gets, for all the awful words blanketing his skin like soot, he'll still take it all if it means he's not forgotten, not completely ignored, that his existence is acknowledged.

But one thing Naruto never knew?

How different – good – it would feel to put something nice on someone else's skin.

It's not really something he ever considered before. He just always assumed it didn't work for him, since the words he's thought a thousand times about the villagers – smelly, ugly, mean, rude, unfair, horrible, bastards, shut up, stop looking at me like that, I hate you - never seem to appear on their skin. (Little does he know, they do, just where no one else will see. While getting in or out of the bath or changing clothes, they see the dark words over their hearts, as if karma itself is telling them just how much they're fucking up.)

But this time, it does work, and...Naruto isn't sure how to feel about it.

It happens after school one day, when Naruto's trying to hurry out of class so he misses the older boys who like to chase him home (and beat him up if they catch him).

But he pauses in his rush out the giant Academy doors when he sees Choji Akimichi, a kind, soft-spoken boy who loves to eat, being harassed by some of the other kids in their class. Those other boys are nothing of note, all average or worse students at best, but they act like they're all that, and it pisses Naruto off.

But right now, what's really making him mad is how they're treating Choji.

"Hey, fatty, why don't you come down to the river with us?"

"No way, Kenta, he can't do that! If he jumps in, the whole thing'll be bone dry!"

"Yeah! Plus, he'd just sink like a stone anyway! He probably can't even swim 'cause he's so fat and useless!"

They laugh and smirk and poke fun, but not in a friendly way. Choji keeps his eyes on the ground, curling his books and signature snacks to his chest, and Naruto can tell by the crinkle of his lips and the shine to his eyes that he's barely holding back tears. His knuckles are white as he curls his fists in his schoolbooks, and Naruto can clearly see the way the giant tomes give way underneath his fingers, hear the covers begging for release as his knuckles crack.

Like a switch has flipped inside, Naruto just stares at him as intently as he can, empathetic tears swimming in his eyes, and thinks, Choji's strong as hell, strong as hell, strong as hell!

He must think that for a solid half-minute or so, not even realizing how much time has passed, before there's a sudden shout. Snapping out of it, Naruto tunes back in, and he's surprised and kind of creeped out to find all the boys have been frozen where they stand. For a moment, Naruto's frozen himself. Does—is this an enemy attack or something?!

But then, a black shadow slips from the boys' back to its source – Shikamaru Nara, Choji's best friend, a tiny bit older than Naruto – and Naruto relaxes.

He's seen that jutsu once or twice before, only in demonstrations of the Leaf village clans' signature jutsu, but it's still somehow comforting to know it's a friendly attack. He'll take that any day. Plus, it's Shikamaru, someone who's...confusing to Naruto, but that's only because he doesn't pick on Naruto like the others. Then again, Choji doesn't either, so maybe it's a thing with them. He's never really been sure.

He watches as Shikamaru comes closer, an angry scowl on his face. "You guys better scram like the sissies you are before I do worse than just paralyze you. And since you're such a drag, that's not a threat, it's a promise."

These kids might be dumb, but they're not stupid. They know that pissing off Shikamaru enough to actually motivate him will be the last thing they ever do. Scared shitless, they scramble to get away as he takes a step closer, zooming out the front gate like their lives depend on it (and for all they know, they do).

Naruto releases a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, shoulders sagging with relief, and he sticks around to make sure Choji will be okay. Shikamaru throws his arm around Choji's shoulders the second he's close enough, offering him a tissue and a snack in the same hand, and Choji snort-laughs in delight at that and something he says in tandem.

It makes Naruto smile (and promptly squash the I wish I had a friend like that that springs up in his heart like an invasive weed), the tears he forgot were there smarting in his eyes, and it's only then that he remembers the older kids. Shit! He'll never make it home without being spotted now! Maybe—maybe he can try taking the rooftops again! He's gotten a lot better at not falling lately!

Furiously rubbing at his eyes, he thinks a few more Strong as hells Choji's way as he turns on his heel and bolts off the school grounds, praying he's not too late.

(He doesn't notice Shikamaru watching him curiously, maybe a bit concerned, while Choji blows his nose.)

Shikamaru only notices it once Naruto's gone, but he brings it to Choji's attention right away. "Hey, Choji, look!"

He points at the words spelling out Strong as hell across Choji's left shoulder like a sash of honor and pride.

Choji's mouth drops open, and he lifts his arm higher to see it better, eyes blown open wide. He reads it over and over, smile becoming a beam as the seconds pass, and Shikamaru is just as happy for him. "But who could've thought it, Shikamaru?" He looks around, but doesn't see anyone, at least no one they know well enough for something like this.

Shikamaru hums and offers a few suggestions, just based on things that happened that day. "Well, Shouta did see you lift that huge boulder earlier today so that caterpillar could get across faster. Maybe that was it?"

But Shikamaru was also paying enough attention in gym to at least know that this phrase is new. Way too new. Like…just happened new. Choji says as much, too.

And it could have been coincidence, it could have been that the kid had something in his eyes, that he was watching something behind them all this time—but Shikamaru's not so quick to rule out the most likely possibility when logic tells him it's right on the money. There are too many coincidences in this case.

That said, his guess?

It was Naruto.

The kid paused on his rushing way out of school for some reason, and Shikamaru knows from seeing him after classes that he doesn't usually stop for anything. By the time Shikamaru realized Choji being bullied was the reason, he definitely noticed Naruto staring at Choji like he was thinking really hard, concentrating on something with all his might, and he's almost sure he saw tears in the kid's eyes (he can guess why – he's not an idiot, after all; he's betting it's the same reason Naruto always rushes off after school – and he doesn't like it). Besides, when Shikamaru came up, he absolutely saw Naruto sigh with relief, and it was only after he made sure Choji was going to be okay that he ran off. And it was only after that, or maybe in the tail end of, either way, that...those words appeared on Choji.

Naruto is the only answer that makes any kind of sense in Shikamaru's mind, and if there's anything those ninja tactics books his father makes him read have taught him, it's to trust his gut.

Of course, all that in mind, he doesn't want to tell Choji without some kind of solid proof. After all, while Naruto's never been anything but nice to him and Choji over the years, he's never gone out of his way to put words on them before either. Actually, he's never heard of Naruto putting words on anyone. He just kinda figured it wasn't his thing (and some people in their world are just like that, feeling it too invasive or intimate, and Shikamaru doesn't judge people based on silly things like that).

Glancing back at his best friend, seeing him still staring at the new Strong as hell on his skin like it's the most amazing thing he's ever seen, tracing it with feather-light fingers every few seconds like he's afraid it'll disappear or he'll forget it was ever there if he doesn't, Shikamaru lets his gaze drift to the gate Naruto ran out of.

A soft, appreciative smile lights his face.

He wonders what else that kid's got.

Chapter Text

They're in cooking class a few days later when it happens again.

When Naruto was younger, he thought it was a little weird to have a cooking class at a Ninja Academy, of all places. But now that he's older, it makes more sense. A ninja always brings food pills and rations and things like that on missions, but if things go up in the air, he has to be able to find and cook food on the road, too. Naruto thinks it's useful, especially since he doesn't have any family to cook for him like the rest of his classmates, so he has to take everything he learns here to heart.

Naruto's working alone because none of the other kids want to partner with him, as usual (and the teacher never makes them, just ignores him like he doesn't exist unless he's causing trouble). It's okay, though, because that just means there's more food for him in the end, which is great for the days he's already run out at his apartment (he doesn't call it home – no place that empty and big-feeling and lonely could ever be called something as sacred as home). And contrary to popular belief, he's actually not a bad cook. He eats ramen most of the time, sure, it's his favorite, but it's not all he eats. He's learned enough from growing up alone and a little more in health class to know that he has to eat more than just that or he'll get really sick eventually. Plus, you know, he's not an idiot like most of his classmates (and teachers) seem to think.

This is a combined class, where the kids from the year above them are with the younger ones, so they can help them where they need it and maybe even learn a thing or two themselves.

Two stations above Naruto's, Neji Hyuuga is paired with his best friends, Rock Lee and Tenten. They're working on sorting and measuring out their ingredients for their nature-made pancakes – Tenten's specialty, what with her affinity for precise calculations – when something catches Neji's eye.

Naruto turns away from his assignment to grab something he dropped when another boy runs by, swipes his hand over Naruto's food, and then rejoins his group, all of them snickering and pointing at Naruto's batter. Naturally, Neji is suspicious. He may not know much about Naruto, but he knows enough that he's always alone, often picked on, and, well...Neji's not blind. He sees all the horrible words coloring his skin.

And while it might not be any of his business, while Neji could easily look away and go back to his assignment, not care what happens to someone he barely knows, Neji isn't that kind of person. He's never been the type to just stand by and watch while someone else is being used as a punching bag, even metaphorically.

So, activating his Byakugan to investigate, he's shocked to find poisonous berries in Naruto's food. Glaring at the bullies' backs, he clenches a fist. As far as he's seen, Naruto's never done anything to those boys to deserve something like that. His eyes don't leave Naruto as he quietly says, "I'll be right back, guys."

Lee and Tenten didn't see what Neji did, but they trust him, so they just nod. "Good luck," Lee whispers, and Tenten winks, both of them keeping their eyes on their assignment. If they draw attention to Neji by watching or acting strangely, he won't be able to help like he wants. He smirks and nods right back. He's lucky to have friends like them.

With that, he moves down to where Naruto is. "Hold on just a second, Naruto."

Naruto jumps, flinching sharply, so much that it gives Neji concerned pause, and he looks over. Blue eyes widen, and a small, confused sound escapes. What's...Neji Hyuuga doing here, with him, of all people? He's older than him by about a year, a genius, and from what Naruto's seen, he's a pretty cool guy... Why in the world would he...?

He watches as Neji picks up a spoon and uses it to fish out some weird-looking berries in his batter. He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head. "I don't suppose you were the one who put these in?" Neji asks, and Naruto quickly shakes his head. Neji just looks angry at that, directing it at a group of boys that makes Naruto wince (something Neji also doesn't miss), and Naruto gulps, wondering what he's going to do. "I see..."

Neji discreetly sends a tiny Gentle Fist Air Palm across the room so the supply cart there half-topples over, scattering the contents with a loud crash. The teacher enlists the front row (the same row the offending boys are in) to help pick it up, which is exactly what Neji was planning on. While everyone's distracted, he slips the berries in the bullies' batter and slinks away like a sly fox.

Smirking with his hands in his pockets, he calmly walks back to Naruto, who's staring at him like he's done something unspeakably amazing. It's almost cute, if curious. "Let's see how they like a taste of their own medicine." Naruto glances back at the boys, looking concerned, and Neji softens some. He even worries about his aggressors, huh...? What a strange kid... "Don't worry, they won't die. They'll just have to miss school for a few days." He shrugs, a huff of a laugh leaving him as his smirk comes back in full force. "Not a big loss for them. They're going to flunk out of this Academy anyway."

Naruto just stares as Neji starts walking back to his group, and he suddenly panics when he realizes he hasn't thanked him yet. Not wanting him to think he's ungrateful – no one's ever done anything like this for him before, and this isn't the first time he's been poisoned either! – he gathers his courage and says, maybe louder than he should out of nerves, squeezing his eyes shut and curling tight fists at his sides as he bows low, "T-thank you very much!"

Neji turns back, surprised. It's the first time the kid's spoken their entire interaction, why, he doesn't know. But Neji sees how...earnest he is in his efforts, so adorably sincere and real, and he can't help but smile. He wants to reach out to touch him, but...somehow, he gets the feeling that might scare him more than help. "You're welcome. Just...keep a closer eye on your food, okay?"

Naruto lifts his head, caught off guard by how gentle his voice is. It's…people don't usually take that kind of tone with him… Teuchi and Ayame are the only ones who've ever… Realizing he's staring again, he swallows the emotional lump starting in his throat and straightens. Hoping he doesn't notice the light blush on his cheeks, he chances a small smile and salutes. "Y-yes, sir! I-I will!"

Neji can't help but laugh into his hand at how…decidedly cute he is before he nods and heads back to his friends.

(Of course, even with that assurance, Neji will be keeping an eye out from now on, too.)

Neji misses it in his rush to get to school early the next day, wanting to get some extra training in with Lee and Tenten before classes actually start.

Lee is actually the one to point it out, noticing the tops of a few letters sticking up beyond his shirt collar. "Hey, Neji! What is that?"

"Hmm?" Neji looks down, and his eyes widen. That wasn't there yesterday, he's sure... "I...don't know…" He's used to words like arrogant, showoff, know-it-all, elitist covering his skin, so he wouldn't be surprised if this was just another 'clever' attempt to make him feel less than—

His fingers go slack with shock the moment his collar's pulled down. Tenten and Lee gasp.

Protective is written along the curve of his collarbone like a necklace. He blinks, a few times, not sure what to say.

Lee, however, isn't as shy. "That describes you perfectly, Neji!" he praises, fists curled at half-mast, a proud glint to his eye.

Neji, caught off guard, shakes his head. "W-what? No, it doesn't! I'm—!" He looks away, flushing. Someone really...thought this about him...? "I just..."

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Tenten demands, in that soft, but stern-nurturing way of hers that always gets him to listen somehow, hands on her hips. "Lee's right, it's a wonderful descriptor for you!"

Neji peers back at her, at them both, in surprise, glancing between them. Then, flushing even hotter, he asks, honestly confused, "I-I don't understand, what are you talking about?"

Lee and Tenten trade looks and shrug before turning back to him with matching shining grins, almost like they've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Neji honestly finds it a bit disturbing. "When we first met, the other kids were bullying me for being unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu like the rest of them! But you broke it up and told them to go home! You made sure they did not bother me after that!"

Tenten nods. "Mm hmm! And we met almost the same way, when the boys were picking on me for wanting to be a weapons specialist! They were all saying I could never do it because I'm a girl, but you stood up for me! You told them to put their skills where their mouths were if they thought they could take me, and I kicked all their butts!" She giggles. "I will never forget the smirk on your face when we watched them all limp home!"

Lee nods a few times, righteous fire in his eyes. "Tenten is right! And there have been many other times where you have done the same for others, even your younger cousin, Hinata! Just yesterday, in fact, you saved Naruto Uzumaki from being badly poisoned and taught those bullies a lesson they will not soon forget!"

Neji feels like he's fighting a losing battle. He never can win when they team up like this, so earnest in their chosen endeavors... "W-well, I...I just..." He swallows and crosses his arms, scowling as he thinks back on their examples. "Those jerks weren't playing fair, that's all. Not a single one of them. If they want to pick on someone, they should make sure it's someone of equal standing. Picking on someone who can't fight back even if they wanted to, deciding someone else's fate for them..." He clenches a fist in his sleeve till his knuckles crack. "It's despicable!"

Lee and Tenten laugh, and Neji tilts his head. "What? What's so funny?"

"You did it again!" Lee tells him, pointing.

"Did what?"

"The protective thing! Just now!" Tenten joins in, pointing, too. They're both grinning like cats who caught canaries.

Neji blinks, startled, and looks down at his new word. "D-did I...?" He didn't even realize... Hmm...

Lee laughs again, fingers twirling his braid. "I think it is just so ingrained in you that you do not even notice when you do it, Neji!"

Tenten chuckles and nods. "You know, I think he's right!"

Neji just stares at his friends, then down at his word again. He wonders…where he even got it... He swears it wasn't there yesterday, but...—!

Suddenly, something Lee said comes hurtling back, Naruto flashing in his mind's eye, and his fingers brush the letters. That...no... Could it be…? He heard Choji got a positive word after being in close proximity to Naruto after school the other day, and now this... Once is chance, twice is coincidence... That's almost all three...

He hums thoughtfully. If it happens one more time, maybe he'll bring up this little mystery to the others, namely Shikamaru. He's sure Lee and Tenten won't be able to keep his new word to themselves for long, after all. They're just excitable like that. Besides, Neji saw the gears turning in Shikamaru's mind the other day when he told him about Choji. He's already thinking, and thinking hard. It won't be long before he comes up with an answer to this little reverse treasure hunt of theirs, if he hasn't already. (And knowing him, he has, he's just waiting for more concrete evidence.)

Chuckling in a way that's almost pleased, he pulls up his collar and and turns back to his friends. "We've wasted enough time on this." He starts heading toward the practice field. "Come on, let's get training before we have to go to class with nothing to show for our extra diligence."

Lee cheers while Tenten protests behind them, wanting to talk about his word more. But in Neji's mind, there's no need.

A tiny smile comes to his face.

It feels good, comforting somehow, to know that someone outside his friends can see the real him.

Chapter Text

Naruto's taking the long way home when he hears them.

"Where you goin', forehead?"

"Yeah, billboard brow! Running home to your mommy?"

"Why bother? You'll only shame her more!"

"Yeah, you're so ugly, I bet your mom can't stand to look at you!"

They snicker and laugh and push her down, kicking dirt at her and laughing some more as Sakura futilely tries to shield herself, curling into a ball. "L-leave me alone!" she pleads, tears already flooding her face. "W-what'd I ever—" she coughs at the dust, "—d-do to you?!"

All of it is all too familiar to Naruto, sickeningly so, and he's a split second away from rushing over and putting himself in the middle when—someone else beats him to it.

WHOOSH!

One of the girl bullies suddenly goes dead limp where she stands, and when she straightens, she immediately starts punching and kicking and biting the others, chasing them and pushing them down and throwing dirt in their faces. "How do you like it, you stupid jerks?!" The other bullies are screaming and crying by the time she's done, and when the girl finally comes to, they all head for the hills. Looks like they're not completely stupid, after all!

"Yeah, you'd better run!" the puppet master, Ino Yamanaka, a girl Naruto recognizes from their class, yells after them, running up beside Sakura and shaking her fist before leaning on her knees to catch her breath. "Don't even think of coming back here, you hear me?!"

Naruto breathes a sigh of relief before realizing he should probably hide. He's not sure what they'd think if they saw him watching them. Not that he's going to watch for long, he swears. He just wants to make sure they're both okay.

He finds a place in a matter of seconds (he's gotten good at that after all these years – has had to, for necessity's sake), and when he looks back, Ino's kneeling in front of Sakura, resting a hand on her head. Her smile and eyes are kind and soft. Naruto finds himself wondering if her hand is gentle, too, what a touch like that – one that doesn't hurt, isn't there to cause pain – would feel like. "Hey… You okay now?"

Sniffing and wiping futilely at her eyes, Sakura looks up at her best friend. "I-Ino...t-thank you so much..."

Ino softens and lightly bats Sakura's hand away to wipe her tears with her sleeve instead, tutting at her. "You're welcome, but you really do need to start standing up for yourself." She brushes the dirt from Sakura's clothes. "When we graduate and get put on ninja teams, I'm gonna be with Choji and Shikamaru. I'm not always gonna be there to help you, you know?" Not that Ino particularly likes that, but...it's the reality of their situation, and Sakura has to face it at some point.

Sakura wipes her eyes again, just in case, then nods. "M—Mm hmm." She sniffs. "I...I know... I...I want to, but..."

"They're bigger than you, stronger than you, and they say a lot of mean things that hurt your feelings, I know." Sakura looks up at her. She took the words right out of her mouth. "But still..." Ino's preoccupied gaze drifts to the side, to the tiny flowers trampled in the bullies' wake. Her voice falls. "I worry about you, you know? These bullies are basically non-lethal mini versions of enemies we'll be facing out there on missions. It scares me that you won't be able to fight back against them if these schoolyard bullies get you down..." And the idea of losing Sakura like that...it makes her clench her fists till they hurt.

Sakura's eyes widen. Ino's never told her that before... The last thing she wants to do is worry her...! Reaching out almost desperately, she latches on to Ino's wrist with both hands, fingers curling in her flower-beaded bracelet. "I won't!"

Ino's wide eyes meet hers, and she blinks at how earnest her expression is. "Won't...what, Sakura…?"

Sakura shakes her head, tightening her grip on Ino. "I-I won't worry you anymore!" She squeezes her eyes shut against new tears. "I-I don't want you to have to worry about me while you're away on missions! 'Cause—'cause what if something happens to you while you're distracted? We learned that you should never be distracted during a mission, right?"

Ino can't help but stare. She's...never seen Sakura this fired up before... "R-right..."

"Then—" taking a deep breath, Sakura opens her eyes, and it could be a trick of the sunset's light, but Ino doesn't think she's ever seen her pretty mint greens look so intense before, "—then as your best friend, it's my turn to protect you! I'll—I'll get stronger and more confident and I'll—I'll show those bullies who's boss someday! Just you watch!" She swallows the lump trying to form in her throat and takes another breath, catching on the end. "Then—then you'll be able to go on missions without worrying about me, and—" her voice has started wobbling again, but she sniffs and does her best to force it back, though tears still sting her eyes, "—and then you'll—you'll come back to me okay...!"

Ino can't tear her eyes away, and she's not the only one. From his hiding place, Naruto is staring as well, mouth agape, and he hasn't noticed it yet, but he's blushing something fierce. That was...really cool, actually...! Ino blinks, unable to help it when she feels tears smart in her own eyes. She breathes a laugh. Figures Sakura would be worried about her with all this...

Leaning forward, she presses their foreheads together, giving Sakura pause this time. "Yeah, well...how about we take it one step at a time, billboard brow?"

Given a moment, Sakura sees the sense in her words and giggles sheepishly. "Y-yeah, you're probably right..." She doesn't even question the nickname. From Ino, she knows it comes from a place of love and adoration and a deep desire for her to be better, to bloom into the beautiful flower she knows she can be. She doesn't mind when she says it. (She's the only one, though!)

After another few comfortable moments (during which Naruto wonders what it would feel like to have a moment like that with someone, someone close to you), Ino pulls back, reaching into her back pocket. "Hey, you know, as a place to start, I actually brought something for you! Close your eyes, okay?"

Sakura doesn't have to question something like this. She knows she can trust Ino, even or especially with her life (and it's important to know who you can trust like that on the battlefield, maybe life or death – that's something else they were taught). She closes her eyes without a second's hesitation, just raising an eyebrow, then both, when she feels Ino tying something around her head.

A couple seconds later, she feels Ino's hands fall away, and she announces, "Okay, all set! Take a look and tell me what'cha think?"

She can hear the bright grin in her voice, and it just makes Sakura excited to know what has her spirits so high. Knowing Ino, it must be something pretty. She's always so good at spotting pretty things—

When she opens her eyes, she sees her own reflection staring back at her, Ino's compact mirror seated in her best friend's hand. "Well? What'd'ya think?" Ino winks and sticks out her tongue. "Pretty cute, right?"

Sakura's struck speechless, eyes wide. Ino tied a beautiful red ribbon around her head, one that compliments her hair and eyes and even her skin tone nicely (all things she learned from Ino)... She's...she looks... She feels tears (happy ones this time) rush back to her eyes, but she bites her lip and pushes them back. Not now...! "I...I look..." she flushes, never thinking she'd say something like this about herself, "...c-cute...!"

Ino snorts and pokes her forehead again, a bit harder than last time. "Hey, give me some credit! You look way more than cute! You look really pretty, and don't you forget it!"

From his hiding place, a wide-eyed, gaping Naruto is blushing even more now, if that's possible. He'd say she looks even better than that! She looks beautiful! Of course, he's secretly always thought that, but especially now, wow! He doesn't know much about girls and looking pretty and stuff, but Ino must be some kind of master! She didn't even have to think, she just knew what to do! That's insane! He wonders if all confident girls are like that...

Sakura grins sheepishly, blush deepening. "R-right, that's w-what I meant! I'm—" she takes a deep breath and ignores her darkening blush, "—r-really c-cute!"

Ino barks a laugh, unable to help teasing, "Say it with some confidence, why don't ya?"

"I'm—I'm really c-cute!"

"Good! Again!"

"I'm r-really cute!"

"Great! One more time, with ultra confidence!"

"I'm—really—cute!"

A high-five. "Yeah, all right!" Ino snaps her fingers and points at her, winking again. "That's my best friend! The cutest kunoichi of 'em all!"

Sakura is beaming by now, flush be damned, and Naruto swears he's going to die if she keeps looking like this. Happily, of course, but still! She laughs. "T-thanks so much!" Then, though, remembering something, her smile falls as she reaches up. "Oh, but—Ino?"

Ino blinks at the sudden mood change, hoping she hasn't missed something. She tilts her head. "Yeah? What is it?"

Sakura frowns, slapping her palm lightly against her forehead. "It's just...my forehead's still..."

Ino breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, is that all? You had me worried there for a second!" Sakura blinks, not sure what she means by that. Wasn't her forehead insecurity the reason for this whole thing? Another poke to her forehead, and she looks back at Ino. "Listen, billboard brow, the only way you're going to get over this insecurity of yours is if you embrace it!"

Removing her hand from her forehead, Sakura looks down at it, then back at Ino. "'Em-...-embrace it'...?"

Ino nods emphatically. "Mm hmm! Embrace it! It's something my mom taught me recently!" She holds up an index finger, head held high, and winks. "If you embrace your insecurities, eventually you'll start to gain confidence in them instead, and then you'll start gaining more confidence in yourself in turn! There's the added bonus of no one ever being able to use those insecurities against you, too! It all ties together, like a bow around a flower bouquet! See?"

It takes Sakura a minute to picture it, but once she does, she brightens. "Oh, yeah, I see! So, if I start to like and maybe eventually even love my..." she falters, but only for a moment, "...b-big forehead, then those bullies won't be able to make me cry anymore!"

Ino nods again. "That's right! They'll still be able to push you and stuff, of course," driving her fist into her palm, she smirks something fierce, "but that'll be their funeral, don't you worry!"

Sakura nods vehemently, not wanting to be left behind. "A-and you won't have to protect me much longer! I'm—I meant what I said about—g-getting stronger! I swear!"

A heartbeat, and then their foreheads are one again. "Remember what I said about baby steps, flower," Ino reminds gently, using a nickname she likes using for her best friend in moments like this. "I appreciate that you want to look out for me, too, but," sticking her tongue out, she pokes Sakura's nose with it, "let's walk before we run, okay?"

Shrieking with laughter at the grossness of the kind-of-sweet-she-guesses gesture, Sakura reels back and falls on her behind. "O-okay, but...I-Ino, that's—that's gross...!" she manages through laughs, but just barely.

Laughing herself, Ino stands up and dusts off the grass. "Oh, so gross is what you're after, huh?" Licking both of her hands and letting her tongue hang out, she lunges for Sakura in the next moment. "I'll show you gross!"

Sakura shrieks with laughter again as she dodges, Ino complimenting her on her speed through her own giggles, and soon, they're a mess of running, licked limbs and screeching, undying laughter, breathing hard and faces red with exertion, their smiles lighting up the sunset-sky.

Naruto watches them for a little while longer, wishing he knew what it was like to play with a friend – let alone a best friend – like that. But once the sun starts sinking lower, he figures he should head home before he's found and this fun, interesting afternoon turns into a beating of an evening. Slipping out of his hiding place as quietly and quickly as possible, Naruto hightails it down the road toward home, hoping he makes it before dark (he's not a big fan of the dark...).

What he doesn't realize is that Ino catches him sneaking away, and she wonders what he's been doing here this whole time. She knows he wasn't with the bullies, so... Glancing over at Sakura, she can't help but soften. It's...sweet of him, but...she wonders why he'd even care when, for all intents and purposes, despite having classes together for years, he barely knows them...doesn't he...?

(And even more curious, if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was blushing to his ears...!)

Once dusk falls, Ino takes Sakura back to the Yamanaka residence, basically Sakura's second home. She helps her clean her cuts and puts some healing ointment on her bruises, and then shoos her off to the bath after running it for her. She lets Sakura stay in as long as she wants while she takes her own quicker bath in her parents' bathroom, and it's only once they're done that they see them.

Ino's eyes widen, and she points at her best friend's forehead. "Whoa, Sakura, check it out!"

Sakura looks up, as if she can see it that way. "What? What?" Gasping quietly when she realizes what it might be, she bites her lip against tears, reaching up to cover it as a lump threatens to form in her throat. "Did they think something bad again?"

Ino's still staring, but she scoffs a little impatiently and shakes her head, taking Sakura's hands down and turning her to face the vanity mirror in her room. What she sees makes her heart skip and tears start in her eyes for real – happy ones for once.

Written across her forehead, totally replacing the usual ugly written there, is the word Beautiful.

She reaches up to touch the new word slowly, hesitantly, like she's afraid if she touches it, it'll disappear. It's...it's really there...and she isn't dreaming either… (She knows because she pinched herself on the way up.) She sniffs wetly, lower lip wobbling. Somebody really...thought this about her...maybe her forehead specifically...! A few tears find their way down her face. No one's ever...been nice about it before except Ino...well, and their other friends, but she knows it wasn't any of them... Ino wouldn't have reacted like that if it was her, and she would have told her if it was one of the others...

She's about to turn to Ino to ask who she thinks it was when her eyes catch something new on Ino's skin, too. Her eyes widen, and she gasps, taking Ino's hand in both of hers and holding it up so she can see. "Ino, look! You have one, too!"

There, written across Ino's knuckles on her right hand, is Brave.

Ino stares at it, blinks more than once. Okay, now this is weird! Humming thoughtfully, she looks between her word and Sakura's. She softens a bit at seeing Sakura get more emotional as the seconds pass, tears steadily starting to stream down her cheeks as she reads it over and over in the mirror, touching it with careful, almost reverent fingers. Ino looks down at her own word and pauses before reaching out to trace it as well. Her smile melts.

She wonders...who could have thought this about her... Most people, when they see her defending Sakura or some other kids, they think of her as loud, annoying, meddler, no-fun, Mother Hen (and not in the good way), that kind of thing. And Sakura... Ino's always thought Sakura was cute, obviously, and she really does think she'll grow to be really beautiful, but...who could think that so hard, so genuinely, that it overwrites what so many others have thought over and over in their cruel mocking? It can't be anyone they know, right? It just...seems so out of nowhere...—!

All at once, she remembers something Shikamaru told her the other day: "Naruto was there when Choji got his good word, and it was after helping Naruto in cooking that Neji found his, too."

Hmm... She wonders... But what could that have to do with—?!

Suddenly remembering something else, she snaps up. That's right! Naruto was there today! She caught a glimpse of him right at the end, running down the street (and blushing, at that)! So, maybe...?

She looks back at Sakura, her word, then her own hand, running her fingers over her new word one more time, slower and more thoughtful than the first.

Naruto Uzumaki, huh...?

Chapter Text

"Hey, princess!" Hinata stiffens and winces at the nickname, the mocking in it, already knowing what's coming. She just does her best to keep walking, tightening her grip on her schoolbag. "How's it feel to have no soul?"

Hinata flinches. There's a rumor going around among the Leaf village kids about the Hyuuga and their pupil-less eyes, saying that their payment for their amazing Kekkei Genaki is that their souls belong to the devil, so they walk around the mortal plane without them, only to return to Hell when they die. It's cruel and unfounded and not true, she keeps telling herself, her elder cousin Neji reassuring her, too, but...it still hurts, and the idea...it scares her. Her nails dig into her palms. "That's...that's not true..." she breathes.

She blinks, and the bully who called her is right in her face, their noses basically touching. He's a year or two older and glaring at her something fierce. "What did you say to me?"

It takes her a moment to find her voice, lips trembling as she closes her eyes to gather herself. She knows what'll come if she fights back, but—she doesn't want to let this rumor stand either! If they want to spread it about her as the next clan heiress, fine—but this is Neji and Hanabi and Uncle Hizashi they're slandering, too! She swallows. "I-I said—" taking a breath, she raises her voice just a little, her head, too, opening her eyes to look him straight in the eye, "—t-that's not true! The Hyuuga are—"

"No-soul, no-soul, the princess is a no-soul!" the other kids start chanting, cutting her off and dragging her down, forming a chain to dance around her in some kind of creepy, almost wild dance. Hinata watches it all with wide eyes, goosebumps blazing across her skin, her small form starting to tremble. Tears fill her eyes, and she can feel her chest tightening the way it does before she has a panic attack. She wants to get away. She—she needs to get away—!

She tries to break through where she knows the weakest of the kids are, but the older boy pulls her back, the other kids spinning faster now to confuse her. "Where do you think you're going, she-devil?"

Hinata reels back at the name as if struck. "W-what? Why would you—?"

Naruto, coming out of the Academy the back way in hopes of avoiding his own bullies like Hinata, stops on a dime. He blinks at what he's seeing. What—what is this...?

"You're the next Hyuuga clan head. Your family has no souls, so you must be the next in line to be the devil's plaything, too, right?"

Hearing that, things make a little more sense. Naruto's heard the rumors, too, but he's not stupid enough to actually believe them. Nobody as protective as Neji or as soft as Hinata could ever be soulless. But that...that almost makes it worse because...he knows how being called that feels. The villagers say similar things about him all the time, even though he doesn't know why, what they mean. Hinata, at least, has an answer, but—damn it, that doesn't make it any better! It's still not fair, not right!

Hinata feels sick. She—she knows that can't be true, but— She shakes her head quickly, her breath getting caught in her throat. O-oh, no...! "N-no, that's—that's not—!" She's cut off when her throat starts to close, coughing into her hands, and the kids step closer, chanting louder. It just makes her fall closer to the precipice, tears leaking from her eyes, knees knocking, throat threatening to close all the way. "It's—it's not like that...! We're—we're just like e-everyone else...!"

They don't listen, though, because of course they don't (they never do, in Naruto's experience), just box her in and sing louder. Hinata's quaking legs give out, she falls to her knees, hands pressed over her ears as hard as she can, tears streaming down her face. She can't—she can't breathe—! "P-please...please...s-stop...!"

Naruto, from his place by the door, is shaking and trying not to hyperventilate himself, but it's out of fury, empathetic tears stinging his eyes. He wants to help, wants to rush over there and kick their asses, make them cry and beg, see how they like it! But if—if he goes over there, then...he's scared he'll just make things worse!

He clutches at the side of the building until his fingers scrape and bleed. This time is different from Ino and Sakura and Choji. Sure, two out of three of them were future clan heads, too, but…! He's sure that if he tried to help someone like Hinata, the Hyuuga Princess, someone whose family's jutsu is the most vital to the village, it'd just make things worse for her. They'd increase their taunting, up their bullying, inject the rumor mill with more about him and her and 'he's a monster, so of course he'd go for the devil's plaything!' He can already see it now, and no matter what he said or did to try to refute it, it would just blow up. He wouldn't be able to stop it, and he'd ruin everything just because he wanted to help!

But...but he hates just standing here, hates doing nothing, just watching this go down. It hurts, so much, like his heart's being ripped from his chest and stomped on. He doesn't really know what's up with her coughing and breathing, but Hinata's always been timid and shy, so Naruto's sure it has something to do with that. And yet, she's still...even now, she's...!

His keen ears can still hear her over that awful chanting. She's still telling them it's not true, that they're wrong, that the Hyuuga are proud and definitely not soulless, and her cousin and sister are the strongest the clan's seen in generations, so that must mean something! They've been blessed, so they can't be soulless! The other kids don't listen, but she keeps trying, never mind that her hands shake and the tears don't stop and it's getting harder and harder to breathe all the time...! Seriously, he's worried she'll pass out!

Finally, he can't take it anymore. He's stepping out of his hiding place and yelling before his brain can even catch up. "Hey—!"

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

A fierce wind whips in suddenly, the other kids scream, and in just a few seconds, all of them are on the ground, all the chakra points in their legs and some in their arms and torso totally taken out. It'll incapacitate them for several minutes, at least. They're groaning or cursing or crying out of fear (because they can't take what they dish out, Naruto thinks vindictively), and Naruto looks around for who did it, though he already has an idea.

"Lady Hinata," a gentle voice calls, even gentler fingers brushing hers. "Lady Hinata, it's all right now. It's just me."

Slowly, Hinata opens her eyes. She knows that voice, those hands, the ones that so very carefully take her hands away from her ears to hold in both of his. She sniffs, shrinking a bit at looking like this in front of him, again. She can't bring herself to meet his eyes. "N-Neji..."

A small smile leaves him, a tiny sigh of relief as well. At least she's not totally catatonic, hasn't fully given in to her panic attack. She's getting better. That must mean their meditation and calming exercises really are helping. He's glad.

He squeezes her hands gently. "Please, look at me, Lady Hinata." She hesitates, but does in the end, and his smile grows, softens with pride. "You did well. You told the truth, you tried to get away, you staved off your panic attack, and you fought until the end." She tilts her head, confusion coming in, for Naruto, too. He clenches his fists. Neji's never seemed like the kind of guy who'd just let something like this slide, so if he saw the whole thing, then why—? Neji shakes his head, reading her (and Naruto's) mind. "I only just got here now." She blinks, while Naruto sighs in relief. "But I know all of that for a fact because that's just how you are."

Hinata's eyes widen, a small gasp leaving her as her cheeks are dusted pink. Neji...! He...he really thinks...? "But—b-but I..." She coughs, wheezes a bit as she tries to catch her breath, and he rests a hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles there. Naruto shuffles his feet anxiously. He wonders if he should run and get the nurse. She should still be here...

But then, Neji brings her small hand to his chest, over his heart, and Naruto...stops, undeniably intrigued. Hinata doesn't look confused, so maybe...this is something they do? "Breathe, Lady Hinata. In..." they inhale through their noses for a few long seconds, Hinata's shaky and uneven, hold it a few more, "...then out..." They exhale through their mouths just as slowly, Hinata coughing a bit. They repeat it a good few times, Hinata closing her eyes and pressing her hand a little more against Neji's heart so she can really focus on matching its rhythm.

After about two minutes, she's calm again, their breathing and heartbeats synced, and she doesn't stop herself from hugging him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Neji!"

Neji is shocked for a moment – Lord Hiashi's nephew or not, hugging a member of the Branch family still isn't something that's normally done – but he welcomes and cherishes it while he can. Hugging her back gently, he holds her close. "Of course, Lady Hinata. I'll always be here."

When they pull away, Neji works on gently drying her face and eyes with the handkerchief he's learned to always carry with him when he notices her looking at the other kids with a crestfallen expression. "What's the matter?"

She keeps her eyes away as she pokes her pointer fingers together, a tiny blush on her face. "I...I tried to fight back... I...I really did...but I..." She bows her head, fighting back a second wave of tears, fists curling in her dark blue pants. "I...I want to be strong...l-like big brother Neji...!"

Neji's eyes widen, breath catching, and then...then he laughs.

Hinata snaps up to look at him, confusion and hurt in her eyes, while Naruto wants to punch his lights out, and he waves a calming hand, hurrying to mend, "F-forgive me, Lady Hinata. T-that came out wrong." Taking a breath and clearing his throat, he offers, "What I meant was, there is more to strength than beating up schoolyard bullies."

"'More'...?" She cocks her head, trying to figure out what he means, but can't get a good sense of it. "Like what?"

Brushing off her clothes with delicate hands, he helps her stand up. "Don't worry. You'll learn in time." She pouts a bit, and he glances toward the sky. "It's getting late. Lord Hiashi will be worried if you're not home soon." Holding out his hand, he offers, "Shall we?"

Hinata looks from his hand to him and brightens hopefully. Reading her mind, he chuckles warmly. "Lee, Tenten, and I got an earlier start on training this morning, so we figured we'd end things early for once."

Lighting up, she grabs at his hand with both of hers like she's catching a fish in water. "Yay! Big brother Neji and I get to walk home together!"

He laughs again, a little more this time, and he nods, tightening his grip some. "Yes, we do. I'm sure Lord Hiashi will understand why we're late once I explain." Leaning down so she can hear, in a kind of stage-whisper, he says with a grin, "Though perhaps we'll leave out the part about the dumplings."

Naruto blinks when she smirks right back at him, having never seen that expression on her face before, but he thinks...he likes it! He likes seeing a more mischievous side of her! "Maybe we'll sneak some home for Hanabi and Uncle Hizashi, too!" She giggles conspiratorially.

Neji winks. "I like the way you think, princess!"

She beams. That nickname is safe with Neji.

(Neither of them notices the new word dawning on the back of her neck.)

They're just stepping out into the setting sunlight when Neji glances back over his shoulder, straight at Naruto.

Naruto jumps, whirls so he's plastered against the wall by the back door so all Neji can see are the tips of his small fingers. His heart pounds in his chest, and he squeezes his eyes shut. Please don't be mad, please don't be mad, please don't be mad...!

Looking back down at his and Hinata's joined hands, Neji hums thoughtfully. He knows he saw a flicker of light on Naruto's face when he spun away, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say it was tears...and his fingers, too, are definitely cracked and bleeding, like he'd just barely been holding himself back from getting involved... And come to think of it, he does seem to remember seeing a flash of orange and hearing a shout of some kind just before he stepped in...

He looks back again, but Naruto's gone, and Neji almost feels bad. He didn't mean to scare him. Of course, it could also just be that Naruto thought he'd get the wrong idea if he stayed. Still, Neji's grateful that he didn't end up helping, despite how it made him feel. If Naruto did come to Hinata's rescue instead of him, things could have been worse for her, loath as he is to admit it. He thinks Naruto knew that, too, and that's why he hesitated.

Naruto is a good boy, if his pranks a bit tiresome, and he wishes the others wouldn't be so hard on him. He still doesn't understand why the adults in the village and even a good number of the children are so awful to him. His father almost explained it once years ago, roundabout and complicated and not in so many words, but it hadn't made sense to even Neji's genius mind. Perhaps on purpose, he thinks now, and in a way, he understands. Whatever it is, he's heard some of the other adults get close to spilling, too, and then be shushed by others, saying they're not allowed to talk about that. To Neji, that indicates some kind of decree from the Third.

It's all very interesting...

"Neji, look! The Firelily birds are coming! They're early this year!"

Neji does look, follows Hinata's pointing to the sky, where he does indeed see the pretty birds flying in. They usually don't come for another month, but it has been colder this month than in recent years. He hums. "I see. I wonder if that means we're getting an early winter this year." Hinata gasps excitedly and starts talking about all the fun things they can do in the snow, and Neji laughs—until he catches sight of something on the back of her neck. Putting his other hand out to stop her, he cuts her off gently, saying, "Hold on a second, Lady Hinata."

He drops to his knees beside her, and when he reaches for her neck, she gets worried. "Did they...did they write something mean again?" It wouldn't be the first time.

Honestly, that's Neji's first thought, too, but—that all flies out the window when he sees what the word really is. It steals his breath. "No, Lady Hinata," he breathes. "It's...it's something else entirely."

She blinks and tries to see, even though she knows it's impossible. "What do you mean?"

Stopping her twirling before she falls and hurts herself, he chuckles and smiles. "It's a good word, Lady Hinata. It says Strong." Hinata's eyes widen. "And that's exactly what you are." He pokes her heart. "In here."

Hinata reaches back to feel her new word, trace where she thinks it is with reverent fingers. Neji gently corrects her. "R-...-really? Someone...someone really thought that about...about...?" She can feel tears wanting to start, but for once, they're happy ones.

Neji nods, smile growing and softening at once. "They must have, and very hard, at that. That's how our world works, after all." He pulls his collar down to show her his own word along his collarbone and grins a little more. "And look! Even better, we almost match!"

She gasps and lights up, reaching out to trace his word, too, and he snorts and then full-on laughs at all the questions she peppers him with as they make the rest of their way back home. Mainly, who it could be that thought such a thing about her. He agrees that it really is curious, his own word's origin, too...

Of course, then he remembers Naruto.

Shikamaru told him about Sakura and Ino getting their good words once Naruto made sure they were okay after a bullying incident a few days back…

That's half of them now. Half of the Konoha 10, at least most likely, Naruto-touched. How curious…

And, he realizes with a start, that that also makes three…

Once is chance, twice is coincidence…and three…

Three is a pattern.

(And four…well, he'd call that a conspiracy.)

Chapter Text

WHOOSH!

CLANG!

PFFH!

Lee and Tenten are breathing hard, facing away from each other on the training field. Tenten's many kunai and shuriken are in the dirt, Lee having easily stopped them all with his taijutsu.

Turning to face each other, Tenten squeals, pressing all her fingers together as she looks at Lee excitedly. "I could barely stop you that time, Lee! You're getting faster and faster all the time! You're amazing!"

Lee can't help but blush at the praise, rubbing the back of his neck. "T-thank you very much, Tenten! Knowing we will be put on three-man teams when we graduate, I have been training harder than ever since this year started! I do not want to be left behind due to my lack of standard ninja skill!"

Tenten softens sympathetically. He has to know she and Neji would never leave him behind…but just in case! Crossing her arms comfortably over her chest, she shakes her head, a determined grin on her face. "We're not moving on without you, Lee. It's you on our team or no one at all." Which, of course, is against the rules, so…!

Lee puts it together in a flash, and she's not the least bit surprised to see tears well in his eyes. "T-Tenten…!" He sniffs and, after wiping at his eyes, swallows and nods, resolve filling him as well. "Thank you so much! I feel the exact same way about you and Neji!"

She laughs, melting a little more. "Don't worry, we know!" Of course they do. How could they not? "All for one, and one for all, right?"

Lee nods. "Now and forever!"

A high-five. "Yeah, all right!"

That taken care of, Lee brightens and balls excited fists at half-mast in getting to return her favor now. "You have gotten much faster as well, Tenten, and you can summon even more weapons at one time than you could before!" He chuckles and smirks a bit, pride in this team and his best friends in the world and even himself fluttering in. It's a good feeling. "I would like to see those bullies say anything about our skill now!"

Off to the side behind a tree, Naruto, having come by to pick up a stray shuriken during his own training on the next field over, can't help but agree. He hasn't been able to look away since he first saw them. They're amazing!

Tenten giggles as well. "Yeah, really!"

"Be careful what you wish for, pigtails!"

They turn to find a good ten or twelve kids, most of them their former bullies. Lee and Tenten glare, unconsciously adjusting their positions so they're on equal footing. Lee sighs. "For the record, I was being sarcastic," he clarifies in a bored, unimpressed sort of voice, and Tenten can't help but snort. She thinks he might be spending too much time with Neji.

Naruto smothers his own laughter with his hand while also looking around for Neji. He's gotta be around here somewhere! Where's that ponytail (his (affectionate!) nickname for Neji) when his friends need him?!

Tenten sets her hands on her hips. "Well? What do you want? If you just came to pick on us, we're trying to train, so could you maybe, you know…?" She makes a shooing motion with her hand.

Lee nods. "Tenten is right." He raises pacifying hands, and his voice is gentle when he speaks. It's way more than they deserve, in Tenten's opinion, but Lee is nothing if not honorable. "The training we are engaging in is too dangerous for your skill level, so you should leave before you get hurt."

"Ooh, you hear that, guys? The King of the Losers thinks he can take us! His little Weapons Master Poser of a girlfriend, too!"

Lee and Tenten gasp at that (Naruto, too), earning a heated glower and growl from the latter, but she's surprised when Lee takes a half-step forward. "Hold it right there! You can say whatever you like about me, but I will not allow you to speak so grossly about my friend!"

Tenten sets a hand on his shoulder. "Whoa, Lee, easy! It's not that big a deal, really. They're just a bunch of snot-nosed brats."

"That may be so, but I will not stand for anyone speaking ill of the people most important to me!"

Tenten's eyes widen and grip slackens in her shock. Her voice falls. "Your…'most important'…?"

Lee nods, never taking his eyes off their aggressors. "You and Neji were the first to truly accept me, Tenten, lack of skill in ninjutsu and genjutsu and all. You encouraged my taijutsu skills, saw them as an asset instead of a limitation, saw me as an equal instead of someone lesser. And for that, I have always felt I owe you everything." Closing his eyes a moment, he hums, satisfied. "Forgive me if this is too forward to say, but," a few kids stagger back at the intensity of his glare alone, "if it came down to it on the field of battle, if it meant protecting you and Neji, I would gladly give my life!"

Tenten gasps, her grip on Lee tightening again, but for a totally different reason this time. "Lee…"

Naruto is similarly shocked. Wow… He's never seen Bushy Brow (his (affectionate!) nickname for Lee) fired up like this before… And loving his friends that much, being willing to put his life on the line for them like that? He's so cool! (What he wouldn't give for someone to even like him a quarter as much!)

The bully who spoke up first just barks a laugh, nose in the air. "As if you could beat anyone with your lack of talent!" He points at Lee like he's the most offending thing he's ever seen (Naruto winces; he knows what that's like). "Since you can't even use ninjutsu, you're not even a real ninja! They should kick you out of the Academy!"

Lee and Tenten gasp again, and this time, Tenten is the one to take a full step forward, snarling and pushing up invisible sleeves. These kids are about to find out (again, for some) that she's not as nice or merciful as Lee! "Okay, that is it!"

A familiar chuckle gives her pause.

She turns to her friend, confused and concerned. "Lee?" She's even more worried to see his head bowed, and yet…he's smiling? "What in the world are you laughing at? They just insulted you!"

Lifting his head, he raises pacifying hands. He has the grace to look at least a little sheepish, even as another laugh escapes him. "I am sorry, Tenten. It is just that, in a way, is this not what we wanted?" Eyeing their bullies again, he gets into his signature taijutsu stance, a sign of respect far more than these little punks deserve. The smirk that curls his lips is righteously fierce and sends Tenten's heart racing. "A chance to prove our aggressors wrong once and for all?"

Smirking at the bullies herself now, she curls strong, invigorated fists at half-mast. "Oh, yeah!" An idea striking her, she glances over at Lee as she backs up to provide support, smirk growing, even glinting in the sunset-light. "You know what? Take 'em off, Lee!"

Naruto blinks, he and the other kids not sure what she's talking about, but Lee just lets his lips follow hers, a confident huff of a laugh escaping. He can't help it. (Maybe he has been spending too much time with Neji.) "With pleasure!"

Naruto holds his breath and leans forward without even realizing it, rooted to the spot. He just knows this is gonna be one of the coolest things he's ever seen!

BOOM!

And lo and behold, it is.

Lee is everywhere and nowhere at once, so fast Naruto almost can't keep up. He catches the bullies completely off guard, so much that even the older ones, the ones in their classes, the ones that Neji and Tenten have already fought off at least once each before, can't hope to touch him. Still, despite his personal grudges, he does his best to be semi-gentle. Behind him, Tenten is sure to show them they should have listened to Lee when they had the chance, blasting them with a barrage of shuriken and kunai, more than enough to teach them a lesson they won't forget any time soon.

Ultimately, the skirmish lasts all of three minutes before every single one of the bullies is running away screaming and crying with minor cuts and bruises, Naruto having to shield his face from the fierce wind that whips through. It takes mere moments for the nuisances to clear out completely. Soon enough, the field belongs to Lee and Tenten once again.

Lee touches down on one knee, one arm out in another of his signature poses, and he lets out a slow, cleansing breath. "I have to admit," he turns to Tenten with a grin, long hair blowing in the wind, "that felt good!"

Tenten laughs delightedly. "You bet it did!" She punches the air. "We were awesome!"

Naruto can't help but agree. Stars fill bright blue eyes. That was the coolest thing he's ever seen, hands down! He wishes he could talk to them, tell them that, praise them until he's blue in the face! He doesn't even know if he'll be able to go back to his own training after that! He almost wants to stay here and watch them as long as he can!

Leaving her scrolls and weapons for now, Tenten comes to kneel beside Lee. Pressing her hands together, she bows her head. "I'm really sorry about your braid, Lee!" The hair tie keeping Lee's braid intact had snapped about halfway through their little brawl, accidentally half-cut by one of Tenten's weapons and weakened further by his speed, so his long black hair has billowed out more than halfway down his back, wavy from always being tied up. "It was a total accident, I swear!"

Lee just laughs. "It is all right, Tenten! I always have extra ties with me," it's habit now, after all the years of bullies pulling his hair, "so no harm done! I would say it was more chance than anything!"

Raising her head, she sighs with relief. "Thanks, Lee!" In the next moment, she lights up, eyes shining. "Seriously, though, your hair's beautiful! You should really have it down more often!" He blushes, pleasantly surprised, and Naruto absolutely agrees with her. He's always liked Lee's braid, but seeing his hair down? He looks like an ancient warrior or something! He thinks it makes him look even cooler! Lee is about to thank her when she gasps excitedly. "Oh, I know! Will you let me do your hair?" She presses her hands together again, this time to beg. "Please, please, please?"

He blinks at her, shocked that anyone would want to fix his hair that much, but ends up flushing further and scratching his cheek. "I do not think it is possible for anyone to say no to that…" Turning his back to her, he hands off, "All right, Tenten! Do as you will!"

She punches the air. "Yes, all right! Thanks, Lee!"

Tenten is incredibly gentle, and Lee finds he likes the feeling of her fingers in his hair. Secretly, she just likes being close to him, and she's realizing she really likes doing his hair, too. It's so soft and pretty, and his warmth is comforting. It always has been to her. She pretends not to notice that he gets a tiny bit redder every time her fingers brush his skin, glad his back is turned so he can't see she's the same way.

Her attention leaves all that when Lee suddenly snorts and laughs happily. "You know, it is too bad Neji was not here to see us kick those jerks into the dirt! He would be very proud!"

"You bet he would!" Tenten glances over her shoulder toward the Hyuuga compound. "I really hope Hinata's feeling better. Neji seemed pretty worried when I stopped by to walk to school with him this morning. He didn't want to leave her for anything. Hopefully having him there helped her a little, at least…"

Oh… Naruto gets it now. So that's why Neji didn't show up to help Lee and Tenten. It also explains why Hinata was absent from class today. He figured she must be sick or something because she never misses class if she can help it. She's always doing her best to get stronger. Poor Hinata… She's really lucky to have a cousin like Neji around… (Naruto would give anything to have someone there while he's sick… He hates being so alone…)

Lee hums, brows drawn together in a worried downturn. "Yes, I do, too. I hope her fever is not due to the stress of all those rumors about the Hyuuga's eyes. According to Neji, the other kids have been coming at her pretty hard with all of it…"

Tenten purses her lips into a thin line. "Those ignorant jerks..." Holding her breath for a few moments as she lays two thick pieces over each other, she lets it out to calm herself. "I wish we could do something to cheer her up…"

Thinking for a moment, Lee suddenly brightens and slams a fist on his palm. "Hey, I know! What if we brought her some flowers? I am sure Ino would be happy to help us find the perfect lotuses to bring her!"

"Oh, lotuses are her favorite! That's a great idea, Lee!" Tenten leans forward to nuzzle their cheeks together for a moment. "You're so thoughtful!"

Lee's cheeks color something fierce, and he averts his eyes in his embarrassment, hoping she won't notice. "Y-you give me too much credit, Tenten…"

"Nope!" she chirps, tying off his finished braid. "I give you exactly what you deserve!" Giving it one more tug just to make sure it's secure, but not too tight, she scoots to the side and announces, "Okay, all done! How's it feel?"

Reaching back, he feels the expertly-done braid with practiced fingers and smiles. "It is perfect! Thank you very much!" He bows his head for good measure, but then pauses as his fingers slide down to the end. "Huh? What is…?" Glancing down, his eyes widen, and he looks back up at her, showing her what's between his fingers. "But Tenten, this is one of your ribbons!"

She nods. "Yeah, I know!"

Lee blinks. "But…you love your ribbons! I told you I have plenty of hair ties of my own, so you do not need to lend me yours, really! I would not want to risk damaging or misplacing it."

Tenten snorts and softens, shaking her head. He really doesn't get it, does he? "I didn't give it to you because I didn't have any other options, Lee. I gave it to you because I love you more."

A small, touched, disbelieving sound leaves him as his cheeks turn dark red, and his gaze momentarily falls to the precious ribbon again before coming back. "And you are…sure this is all right?"

Tenten nods as firmly as she can, pointing to the sky. "As sure as the sun's shining! Besides," she chuckles conspiratorially, "it can be part of the awesome story we tell Neji tomorrow!"

Lee laughs as well, not missing that she figures he'll be wearing it. Of course he will! He'll never wear anything else ever again! "That is true!"

Snap!

The two turn at the sound of a twig breaking just in time to see Naruto freeze and turn tail to bolt in the other direction. He wanted to watch them train a little more (and he'd give just about anything for a friendship like that), but he supposes it's just as well. It'll be dark soon anyway (and he's not the biggest fan of the dark…).

Tenten and Lee watch him go, then give each other befuddled looks. "Was that…Naruto Uzumaki?" Lee asks.

Tenten tilts her head. "It must have been." She shrugs. "Who else do we know who wears that much orange?"

Lee chuckles. "Fair point."

The next morning, Neji and Tenten are in their usual spot in front of the Academy, waiting for Lee, of all things. It's not like him to run late – hell, he's always the first one here – so they're a little concerned.

"Neji! Tenten!"

They turn to see him sprinting full-tilt toward them (there's a dust cloud in his wake, for goodness' sake) with a beam set to split his face. Well, at least they know for sure he's not hurt or sick or anything.

"Please forgive my tardiness!" He leans on his knees to catch his breath for a moment before he straightens, eyes shining and fists balled at half-mast. "But something wonderful has happened! Look!"

Pulling up his right pant leg and taking off the ankle weight, he shows them the brand new Lightning on the inside of his calf.

Neji's eyes widen, and Tenten gasps. "Whoa! You got a new word?! When? Do you know who?"

Lee nods, shrugs, and shakes his head in succession, laughing with delight. "I do not know who it was, but I just found it this morning! I do not know if it was there last night since it was dark by the time I got home, but I am sure it is brand new! It was not there when I got ready for school yesterday or when I changed for gym!"

That reminding her, Tenten starts. "Hey, you know what? I think I might've gotten one, too!" Pushing up her jacket sleeve (winter's definitely coming early this year), she explains, "I was so excited to tell Neji about our victory yesterday that I almost missed it!"

Showing them the inside of her left wrist, the words So cool grace her skin.

She lights up like the sun in reading it for the first time, and Lee laughs happily, taking her hand in both of his. "Oh, this is incredible, Tenten! We both got new words at the exact same time! What are the odds of that, I wonder?"

Neji is smiling softly at both of them, heart warm. They deserve this happiness! "I'm so happy for you!" Then, smirking with a tilt of his head, he can't help but ask, intrigued since Tenten's words before, "Now, what's this I hear about some kind of 'victory'?"

Lee and Tenten immediately launch into their tale in exquisite detail, and by the time they're done, they've used up nearly half of their before-school training time. But for once, Neji doesn't mind. This is more important. His friends' accomplishments will always be more important.

Neji's eyes are wide, and his mouth is agape. "You beat all of them all on your own? That quickly?" They beam and nod, and he doesn't waste any time hugging them both tightly. "I'm so proud of you! See? I told you you'd be able to hold your own if there was ever a next time!" As they separate, he winks Lee's way. "And Tenten's ribbon really does suit you, Lee."

Something in his voice and expression tells Lee he's talking about more than the pretty hair accessory, but he strategically feigns ignorance. Though it doesn't save him from blushing. "T-thank you, Neji!"

A touch of guilt seeps into the Hyuuga's expression. "I just wish I'd been there to help…"

They instantly shake their heads. "No way, Neji! Hinata needed you at home!" Tenten insists.

Lee nods. "Tenten is right! Besides," he rubs the back of his head, "I think it was better for us like this, in a way. We showed them who is boss all by ourselves," he flashes a thumbs up with a grin and a wink, "and no one will ever be able to take that away from us!"

Neji can't help but laugh. "That's true…" Sighing, the guilty tension leaves him, and he smiles at them. "Perhaps you're right. Thanks, guys."

Of course, now that he knows about yesterday's events, his mind goes back to his friends' new words, whirring a mile a minute. "Odds, indeed…" he mumbles. He wonders…if there's any possible way… Looking back up at them, he asks, "Lee, Tenten," they turn at his serious tone, "this might be a long shot, but…by any chance, was Naruto there at all yesterday?"

They blink and slowly tilt their heads. Well, that's…out of the blue. "You are asking about Naruto Uzumaki, correct?" Lee asks to clarify, and Neji nods. He hums as he thinks back, Tenten, too.

After a moment, they both gasp and trade a glance before coming back to Neji. "He was there!" Tenten confirms. "We saw him right at the end, when he stepped on a stick and then ran off when we spotted him."

Lee nods, but he's frowning thoughtfully. "He looked nervous, though, maybe even scared, like he thought we would be angry with him or something…" A thought crossing his mind, he crosses his arms over his chest and looks up at the sky. "Although, since he was obviously not with the bullies, I have to wonder what he was doing there… Watching us train, perhaps?"

While Lee and Tenten discuss, Neji focuses on the bigger picture. So…Naruto (at least, most likely) got to his friends, too. That means…of the Konoha 10, only Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru are left…and he's sure their words are coming… He's already decided that this definitely falls into the conspiracy category (a new one he had to make up)…

Seeing a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye, he turns to see Naruto yawning widely as he slips onto the Academy grounds. For someone normally so loud and bright, it seems he can be a ghost when he wants to be. He's unusually early, Neji can't help but notice, and he also doesn't miss the dark bags under his eyes and how pale he looks, the healing bruises and cuts on his skin. He climbs the tree where the old, mostly-abandoned swing sits like it's second nature and curls up on the wide, high branch under cover of leaves. A dumbfounded Neji watches him fall asleep right there, just like that.

And yet, just before he closed his eyes, Neji could swear he looked Lee and Tenten's way, a tiny flash of a smile lighting his face…

His best friends' ecstatic voices replaying in his head, Neji clenches a fist.

He's telling Shikamaru as soon as he gets here. They are going to get to the bottom of this if it kills them!

Chapter Text

Curled up against Kiba's chest, Akamaru whines.

Kiba reaches down to scratch behind his ears to comfort him. "I know, boy. Don't worry. Hopefully they'll find somebody else to piss off and won't bother with us. It'll be fine."

Akamaru whines a little more, ears folding back, and ducks down lower in Kiba's jacket. Kiba's shoulders slump with a weary sigh. Yeah, he wouldn't believe him either. He can practically smell the malicious intent on the little bastards now, just a few yards behind them. They're really getting on his last nerve…

"Hey, dog-boy!"

Kiba keeps his eyes straight ahead and takes slow, deep breaths to try to keep calm. If he gets in another fight on Academy grounds, whether classes are over and he started it or not, it won't look good to the teachers…and with the way his mom's been lecturing him lately on being more responsible and keeping his head…

"Hey, we're talkin' to you, dog breath!"

Kiba squeezes his eyes shut. Those stupid nicknames… Are they supposed to intimidate him or something? Seriously, it's like they're not even trying.

"You're a total freak, you know that?"

Yeah, yeah. Kiba knows, all right. He's heard and read basically everything. Dog-shit, loud, stupid, pissy, obnoxious, arrogant and so many more cruel words dot his skin like paw prints. Hell, after this, there'll probably be even more. Not that it really matters, he does his best to tell himself. Sure, they suck, but he has Akamaru, his mom and sister, the rest of his clan, and his friends. He's fine... He'll be fine.

His eyes snap open and down when he feels Akamaru start trembling, and a frown pulls tight at his lips. Rubbing Akamaru's favorite spot between his eyes, he wraps his other arm around to cradle him, mostly to keep himself from giving in and reacting. That'll just give them what they want. Keep it together, Kiba…

"It's okay, boy. Just ignore them. They'll—"

"It must suck to be you!" the perceived leader calls. "Your future teammates are a bug-shit mute and a weakling heiress with no soul! You losers are gonna die in the field before you even get close to thirteen!" He laughs as his friends back him up, cackling while flinging similar insults Kiba's way.

Kiba, for his part, has stopped walking while Akamaru's shaking's increased. The look he cuts the group over his shoulder would send anyone else running. Well, anyone smart. "What'd you just say?"

"You heard me!" The older boy's smirking, hands on his hips, and the kids behind him laugh harder, booming and obnoxious.

Kiba growls, clenching his fists. He probably looks like a hypocrite right now, but he knows Akamaru will understand. This is their pack they're trashing! Nobody does that and gets away with it! "You don't know a damn thing about my friends if you think they're that pathetic!" He smirks. "Shino's a cutthroat fighter with one hell of a mouth on him, and you'd know that if you numbskulls used your brains for anything useful! And Hinata…" He huffs a laugh, sharp teeth on full display in warning, pride and adoration warming his chest. "Hinata's anything but weak! Wait till we graduate, then you'll be sorry! Once you see how hard she's been training, how strong a fighter she is when it counts, I guarantee she'll kick your sorry asses and more!" He narrows his eyes. "And if you think for even a second that someone as kind as her could be soulless, what's that say about you little bastards, huh?"

The kids merely scoff in answer, laugh and roll their eyes as if what he said didn't just eviscerate their arguments entirely. To Kiba, that just means they're not smart enough to know when they've been beaten. Shikamaru was right. Can't argue with guys with fluff between their ears. They don't have a single inkling of the kind of strength it takes to be a ninja. They're the weak ones, in his mind.

Meanwhile, several yards behind them, Naruto hides behind a tree. Damn it! He thought going out the window would give him an advantage over the bullies, but looks like he was wrong… That means he's stuck here till they leave…

More importantly, though, he can't understand why those jerks would say that about Kiba. He's not a freak at all, no more than Naruto himself is (and he's not, thank you very much, no matter what those stupid villagers might think, all their hurtful words be damned)! He's loud and acts kinda dog-like sometimes, but Naruto feels a camaraderie in the first and finds the second cool and interesting! Plus, a little puppy as cute as Akamaru can also kick ass? That's the coolest thing ever! How these guys can't see that is beyond him!

And what they said about Shino and Hinata, too…they've got it all wrong! Everything Kiba said was true, and Naruto's seen and heard it with his very own eyes and ears! He can't wait for these guys to get their asses handed to them down the line! Of course, then he remembers what Neji said in cooking class a month or so back about them flunking out of the Academy, and he can't help but smirk at the very idea. He really hopes he's right, and he knows Neji's almost never wrong.

Still, he wishes there was something he could do to help Kiba right now. He doesn't want him getting into a fight. Even thinking about the potential bruises and scrapes makes Naruto wince in empathy.

Kiba, thinking along the same lines, decides he's wasted enough time on these idiots. He turns to leave.

The lead bully steps forward. "Hey, we're not done!"

"Yeah, well, I am!"

Tch. "You can't even stay when you're told! That just proves it!"

Despite himself, Kiba snorts. "What, another rumor you're stupid enough to believe?"

"No!" He points at Kiba. "That your family's a pack of pea-brained mutts and even dumber mutt-lovers!"

Naruto gasps while Kiba bristles and about-faces, claws poking into his palms. "Hey, you don't know anything about my family, so don't spout off like you do!" Akamaru pokes his head out of Kiba's jacket to bark indignantly.

"Yeah, yeah, Sparky, keep barkin'!" The bully makes out as if Kiba didn't say a word, like he doesn't matter in the slightest. Naruto grimaces. He knows exactly what that's like… "You wanna know the most pathetic thing about you?" A cruel smirk curls his lips as his friends snicker. "Your mom's a literal bitch!"

Kiba goes shock-still, and Akamaru stops shaking.

His mom leads the Inuzuka clan, yes, and Hana's most likely to lead after her, but they're a matriarchal clan. There's nothing wrong with that. Hell, in the wild, hyenas are matriarchal, and they're some of the smartest, fiercest animals out there. He's proud to have such strong females in his family who're also his role models. They're the most amazing girls he knows besides Hinata. So…what gives? Why call his mom that, like his clan's way is something bad, even shameful?

Of course, in the end, he supposes the why doesn't matter. He just has to make them understand that that's not something they can just say. Not while he's still breathing, anyway.

Naruto presses his hands tighter to his mouth. He'd gasped so loudly at the slight that he'd had to shut himself up to keep from saying something and making things worse. Those rotten jerks…!

Kiba snaps out of his shock when the snickering starts. He doesn't care what they're so happy about (probably the rise they're getting out of him), he's just trying to breathe past the red spotting his vision. Obviously, that's easier said than done. His breathing is harsh through clenched teeth, and he can feel his claws slicing into his palms, warm blood dripping from them. Oh, well. He'll deal with that later. He's the last thing on his mind right now. "The hell did you just say about my mom, asshole?" he snarls.

Akamaru's ears fold back some at his ferocity, but he's following his master in glaring at the boys, snarling a final warning.

"Exactly what I said! And you know what?" The leader marches right into Kiba's space, and Naruto gulps. This isn't going to end well…! "They should put you and your clan down like the dogs you are!" Kiba gasps as Akamaru yelps, Naruto flinching behind his tree. Oh, shit…! Smirk taking an ugly, vicious turn Kiba's way, the bully reaches down for Akamaru. "Starting with your useless mutt here!"

—!

A vice grip on the boy's wrist a split second later, and if looks could kill— Kiba's out for blood now.

"Don't you fucking touch Akamaru, you bastard!"

After that, the yard erupts into chaos. Kiba fights tooth and nail, wilder and more fired up than Naruto's ever seen. That kid must really have a death wish, reaching for Akamaru like that! Did he really think Kiba would just take that lying down? It's like they don't know him at all! Kiba's protective as all hell, and Naruto's not sure if that's enhanced by the dog-like characteristics of his clan or not, but either way, he's definitely not someone whose loved ones you want to mess with, especially not like that! That's just…suicide!

Still, no matter how pissed off Kiba is, seven against one, technically two counting Akamaru, aren't great odds. Naruto can't stand people who don't fight fair! (The villagers and bullies never fight fair with him either…) He crosses all his fingers and prays as hard as he can that Kiba will come out on top. He wishes he could do more…!

Suddenly, the lead bully cries out, and when Naruto finds him in the scuffle, Akamaru's death-shaking his pant leg. Seeing the opening for what it is, Kiba tackles him to the ground and shakes him roughly by the collar.

"Apologize, damn it! Say you're sorry or so help me!"

Seeing their leader at Kiba's mercy, the other kids hightail it out of there. The boy's eyes widen in betrayal and fear, and Kiba can't help but smirk. "Not so big 'n' bad now without numbers on your side, are ya?"

The kid spits in Kiba's face and punches him in the jaw to get him off, then scrambles to his feet. "You're a freak, Inuzuka! A freak!"

With that, he runs off, calling after the so-called friends that left him. Yep… They're gonna fail out of this Academy, all right. Rule one of being a ninja: you're only as strong as your weakest link, and that chain was one of the weakest Kiba's ever seen.

Wiping at the spit with his sleeve, Kiba shifts to his knees with a heavy sigh. Hurrying over, Akamaru whines and braces his front paws on Kiba's chest to lick his bruised cheeks and split lip. Kiba laughs, petting him gently. "Aw, thanks, boy. They didn't hurt you, did they? Lemme see."

After making sure Akamaru's okay, Kiba sighs again, in relief this time, and Naruto does the same. Thank goodness… He was really afraid things were gonna go south for a minute! That said, wow! Kiba's so sweet and cool! He took on all of them at once and still came out on top! Akamaru was really awesome, too! They're such a good team, so lucky to have each other! (Naruto can't help but wonder what it's like to be able to trust someone, anyone, like that (at all).)

Once he makes absolutely sure they'll be all right getting home, he hurries to head out himself. It'll be hard to miss his bullies at this rate, but this was more important!

Shink! Shink! Shinkkk…!

Kiba's ears perk at the peculiar noise, and he looks up just in time to see Naruto Uzumaki jump off the Academy's chain-link fence and take off running. He raises an eyebrow. What would Naruto be doing here at this hour? He usually leaves way before now, normally out the front or back, at least according to Shikamaru and Neji. Was he just waiting for the bullies to clear out or…was it something else…—?

Akamaru bark-whines, and Kiba backs out of wandering thoughts. Smiling down at him, he scoops up his beloved partner and settles him safely inside his jacket again. "Sorry, boy. I know, we're way late getting home." Cradling Akamaru close, he stands and restarts their walk toward the Inuzuka compound. "Once we get there, I'll have Hana check on you, just to make extra sure you're okay." Akamaru barks insistently, and Kiba laughs. "Okay, okay! I'll have mom look me over, too! You know, for a dog, you're a pretty convincing Mother Hen!"

"If you keep this up, I'm gonna start charging you every time I have to look over Akamaru."

"Hey, it's not like we're asking for it! We're just defending ourselves and what's important to us!" Kiba retorts, and Akamaru backs him up. Feeling a little guilty, though, he sighs. "But I hear ya, sis. I'm sorry, okay? But you should have heard what those jerks said about Hinata and Shino and our clan, let alone mom!" He looks away, clenching bandaged fists. "They called her a…a…" He squeezes his eyes shut. It's so horrible, he can't bear to say it…

He's saved when his mom stops patching him up long enough to ruffle his hair roughly. "I can guess what they called me, pup! I've heard and read it all before and worse! No need to wet yourself over it!"

Kiba flushes at the embarrassing insinuation. "I-I'm not! Besides, that's not even the worst of it! Then they said we should all be put down like the dogs we are, and—" he bites his lip, wincing when the pain reminds him it's already split, "—and the biggest of 'em tried to grab Akamaru, saying he'd be first!"

Tsume doesn't say anything for a long moment as she cleans more dirt from his face, piercing gaze not leaving him. "Then you protected him and your friends and all of us by showin' 'em who's boss, is that right?"

Kiba cocks an eyebrow and crosses his arms with a huff. "Well, yeah, of course! What else?"

She laughs out loud and pulls him in for a good old-fashioned noogie. "That's my boy!"

Kiba squawks and half-laughs. "Ah—mom, let go! That hurts!"

She stops, but doesn't let him go. She keeps him there against her chest instead, arms wrapped around his shoulders in a backward hug. Her familiar scent surrounds him, her comforting warmth seeps through his clothes, and Kiba closes his eyes and relaxes into her. This is exactly what he needs after all that…

He feels her start cleaning him again several seconds later, and Kiba's eyes fly open when she gasps, Hana, too. He's surprised to find her expression's gone soft, even proud. It's not too often that his mom looks at him like this… "Apparently, we're not the only ones you impressed, pup."

Kiba doesn't get what she means, but Akamaru barks excitedly and his tail's wagging like crazy, so they must know something he doesn't. His mom turns his face toward the mirror, and Kiba follows his girls.

The word Loyal hugs an ugly bruise on his cheek.

Kiba's slack-jawed, thrilled and confused and awed all at once. Who the heck could have, would have, thought this about him? The only ones around as far as he knows were the bullies, and they certainly wouldn't have—!

Their wind chimes tinkle outside, and Kiba's reminded of the trilling chain-link fence around the Academy. Oh, yeah! Naruto was there, too! But…would he really have…and if so, why…?

He reaches up to touch his new word, trace it, with shaky, almost reverent fingers. He remembers what the others have been saying lately, about getting good words seemingly out of nowhere, and one of the most confusing common denominators is that Naruto always seems to be around when they happen…

And now, he's gotten one, too. Huh… Shikamaru and Neji are definitely gonna wanna know about this. Looks like Shino and Shikamaru are the only ones of the Konoha 10 left untouched.

He grins at Akamaru in the mirror. "Looks like we've got ourselves a fan, huh, boy?"

Bark! Bark!

Chapter Text

A biting wind whips through the quiet street, and Hinata, wearing a thinner jacket than her companions, grimaces and shivers violently. It wasn't this cold this morn—oh!

Suddenly, something big and soft and warm plops! on her, and she reaches up to take hold of it.

Any doubt dissipates instantly. She'd know this material, never mind its familiar, comforting scent, anywhere.

Looking over at a jacket-less Kiba, ever at her side, she's momentarily shocked and touched, but not surprised. How can she be? This is just how he is. Pulling the jacket down, she smiles shyly. "T-thank you, Kiba…"

Kiba just grins widely, hands folded behind his head. "No problem! Can't have you getting sick again when we just got you back, now, can we?" Akamaru, lying across Kiba's shoulders like a scarf, barks in agreement.

Hinata smiles a little more, flushing some as she rights the jacket on her small frame. She always feels so warm inside when he does things like this…but she hopes she's not a burden… "I guess not…"

Another cold wind blows, and she's quick to shove her arms through the giant sleeves and curl all the excess material in close for added warmth. His jacket dwarfs her, and that's being generous, but she doesn't mind. She feels safe in it and so, so warm, the same way she feels in Kiba's arms. Since she's already here, she doesn't hesitate to close her eyes and breathe in his familiar scent for good measure. It smells like the forest and the river and Akamaru especially, and some of the tension she always feels going home seeps from her shoulders in a shaky, relieved exhale, expression smoothing out in contentment. Kiba doesn't miss a single thing. All of it just stokes the protective fire he always feels walking her home, hotter than the ever-present affection burning his cheeks.

She glances over at him again after a moment or two, something sparking in her mind, and he hurries to look away. "A-are you sure you and Akamaru will be okay, though? I don't want you getting sick, too..."

Kiba snorts, shaking his head and reaching over to ruffle her hair, making her miss the soft look he sends her way. If she only knew how precious she was to him, that he'd let her wear his jacket every second of every day if it meant she'd feel like this. "Hey, don't worry about it! We Inuzuka are natural space heaters, remember? So we'll be fine!" Akamaru barks insistently, and Kiba's grin turns even more wolfish, edging territorial. He huffs a laugh. "Besides, Akamaru's right: you're pack, and we take care of our own!"

Hinata can only stare for a long moment, lips parted and cheeks steadily darkening. Her gaze finds the Loyal half-circling the still-healing bruise on his cheek, and her gratitude and adoration grow tenfold. She loves them so much! Beaming, she nods. "Right! You're mine, too!" She looks to her other side. "You, too, Shino!"

Shino, quietly observing this whole time, feels a familiar spark of camaraderie and belonging flare in his chest, a rare, barely-there smile flitting across his face. This is how he always feels with them. He's so lucky to have found best friends like these. He nods right back. "Likewise."

They arrive at the Hyuuga compound a few minutes later, and as always, Hinata's good mood dampens significantly. Taking a deep, slow breath, then a few more, just like Neji and Uncle Hizashi taught her, she curls a fist in Kiba's jacket over her heart, willing it to give her strength. Hopefully her father's meeting with the clan elders went longer than expected…

The fluff around her fingers reminding her, she snaps out of her thoughts and turns to face Kiba, reaching to take off his jacket. "O-oh, Kiba! Your jacket!"

But Kiba just waves a calming, dismissive hand with a smile. "Keep it!" Hinata pauses, a shocked squeak leaving her, cheeks lighting up, and Kiba beams. "It's fine! Just give it back to me tomorrow!"

Hinata opens her mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. Averting her eyes and pressing her fingertips together, she bites her lip. He's…he must know, then…how comforting his jacket is for her and why… Not that she's surprised – he's really good at reading her, always has been – but…she hoped he wouldn't… Because what if he…what if he thinks less of her now…?

—?!

Warm, gentle fingers tilt her chin up, a hot forehead presses to hers, and Hinata's eyes widen and cheeks dye red as Kiba's soft eyes meet her own. "I know, yeah," he confirms quietly, wanting to respect her privacy as best he can. "It's easy if you know where to look."

She opens her mouth to apologize, but he cuts her off with a fond chuckle, nuzzling in so their noses brush. A tiny thrill runs down Hinata's spine. She's seen Inuzuka clan members do that many times, but it's usually reserved for mates or those they consider infinitely precious. To think Kiba thinks that of her…!

"Don't you dare apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for." Kiba's voice has taken on the slightest gruffness, a warmth and affection in it she knows runs deeper than his human side – it's his animal instincts kicking in, all for her. "I'm glad I know you so well, Hinata. It may be a bother or a burden to your stupid father, but you never could be, not to me. I want to help when you're feeling sad or scared, when you doubt yourself. More than you could ever know." He offers a toothy grin, pointedly ignoring the growing heat in his cheeks. "It's the same for you with me, right?"

Hinata's eyes widen. He's right. Of course he is. Kiba's loud and fiery, her polar opposite, so it's easy to tell what his more obvious moods are, but the quieter ones…even for their friends, those are harder to pin down. She's made a point of learning them over the years, though.

When he's scared, his claws itch to poke out and his voice shakes. When he's nervous, he bites the inside of his cheek or his tongue. When he's pissed (and can't be loud about it), he grits his teeth, clenches his fists, digs his fangs into his lip, or some combination of the three, even making himself bleed on occasion. When he's sad, he goes quiet and is more easily riled than usual. When he's happy, he's like the sun, warm and bold and bright. Depending on the set of his shoulders, she can tell even from behind what his mood is at any point.

And right now, he couldn't be happier or more at ease if he tried. It's his default with her, she's found, which fills her heart with joy.

Finally able to relax in full, she giggles when Akamaru leans over to lick her cheek. "Y-you're right. It's exactly the same." She threads their fingers together and squeezes. "Thank you, Kiba."

"Any time, princess." Then, Kiba does something he never has before. Pressing a split-second kiss to the star of her face, he turns a red-dazed Hinata around and gently pushes her toward the compound doors. He sure hopes the sunset hides his blush. "Now, go find your uncle before Neji comes looking for you!"

The prospect of seeing her two favorite family members (sans Hanabi, of course) overrides her fear of running into her father, and she brightens and nods. "All right! Be safe on your way home! See you guys tomorrow!"

Kiba and Shino wave goodbye, wait until she's safely inside, and then hang around a minute or so more to make sure nothing goes down with her father within their earshot. Once they're sure everything's fine, they start on their way again.

"You'd be better off just telling her how you feel."

Kiba stiffens. Shit! He almost forgot Shino saw all that! Turning bright red, he looks away to pout. "S-shut up, Shino! She just needed some reassurance, that's all!"

Sigh. "Right…"

Inwardly, Shino shakes his head. May the gods have mercy on his soul...

Kiba insists on walking both his best friends home every chance he gets. Shino attributes it to his pack instincts, needing to make sure all his packmates are safe and well taken care of at all times. Not that Shino minds, not really. On the contrary, it makes him feel…good.

Wanted, needed, necessary. Seen.

Today, however, Kiba has to get home early for clan business, so he reluctantly leaves Shino to walk the last stretch on his own.

Shino doesn't mind the alone time, though. He's always been more of a loner by nature anyway, and being able to stand on one's own is a skill in and of itself.

He's always been a proud child. Proud to be part of the esteemed Aburame clan of the Hidden Leaf, its next head besides. Proud to be able to use clan jutsu and strategize on a level that, at least according to his Dad, kids his age normally can't. Proud as hell to be Kiba and Hinata's future teammates and to have such good friends in the rest of the Konoha 10. He can't ask for better friends. He wants to be there for and protect them just like they do him. (Kiba's most recent scuffle comes to mind, the bruises and cuts and Loyal on his skin curling Shino's fists and warming his heart at once.)

That said, having pride doesn't count for much against the onslaught of his peers' harsh words.

Words like freak, gross, creep, mute, wise-ass, bug-shit and more crawl across his flesh like his clan's infamous bugs.

Because he's difficult to faze and not what one would call 'emotional', the other kids see him as some kind of sick challenge. Hell, he's pretty sure they've invented some sort of game around it, if the steadily increasing snickering and high-fives are anything to go by. Granted, their words don't stick around for very long, only a few hours at most, and they're mostly hidden by his favorite jacket, but still… That doesn't mean the rude, frankly ignorant things they come up with don't weigh on him like they would anyone else…

Sudden raucous laughter rings out behind him. Shino closes his eyes and reminds himself to breathe.

Speak of the devil…

"That stupid Hyuuga heiress thinks she's so great, but she's so timid and weak, it's pathetic!"

"Right? If she's the next clan head, we're all doomed! And don't even get me started on her teammates! A creepy mute and a one-trick mutt are just as bad!"

A little ways behind both parties, Naruto's taking a long way home. On his way out of the Academy, he saw Shino and Kiba walking Hinata home and decided to discreetly tag along at a safe distance, just in case. She's recovered from her fever just fine as far as he's seen, is even able to participate in gym and sparring sessions again, but he's always known something isn't quite right with how she feels about home (minus Neji and the little sister and uncle he's heard about in passing), so he wanted to be sure she'd be all right. Not that she didn't have her friends with her, but still.

And then, once Kiba left and Naruto heard these guys coming Shino's way, well…that settled it. He wasn't going anywhere.

Of course, that's not to say that Shino can't handle himself. Naruto knows he can! Hell, unlike the other kids too dumb to realize it, Naruto actually thinks Shino's pretty cool and interesting!

Sure, his bugs are kinda creepy (it was definitely something Naruto had to get used to when they first met), and the idea of having them crawling around inside him gives Naruto the willies, but it's Shino's family's way, so it's normal for him. Just because it's not for the other kids doesn't mean they should make fun of him for it. And more importantly, Naruto knows for a fact how smart Shino is, particularly when it comes to using his bugs in battle, and considering he's never actually been in a battle before, Naruto finds it even more impressive!

That's not all Naruto's noticed either! Shino may be a guy of few words, but that just means he's even more awesome with his actions!

After sparring, he always offers a bug to his partners to help replenish their chakra, and Naruto's seen him help a spider the other kids were scared of out of a storm drain once. There was also this one time Shino totally owned this jerk in one of his sparring sessions, but instead of gloating, he just turned on his heel and walked away. It was awesome! Shino's also surprisingly hilarious! Sometimes he'll grumble about some of the more annoying teachers, so quietly that nobody else hears but Naruto (because he can hear better than the other kids for some reason, has always been able to), and Naruto will have to smother his laughter in his hands or rush out to the hall to burst out laughing.

"They're all so useless and annoying! Not clan head material at all!"

"I know! The Leaf's gonna be ruined in their hands!"

Naruto tunes back in to hear what the bullies have to say, glaring at their backs. That's not true at all! How dare they say things like that about them?

"They think they're so high and mighty just 'cause they're from some of the Leaf's most important clans! 'Oh, look at us, we have no soul, no brain, and can't be assed to say a word, but we still think we're so much better than you!'" one of them mocks, doing a little voice and dance and everything, making their friends snicker and laugh. Naruto clenches his fists, biting back a growl. Still, if he didn't know any better…he could swear there's some jealousy hidden somewhere in there…

Shino stops in his tracks and turns toward the brats in almost the same motion, and Naruto darts to duck behind a telephone pole. He doesn't know what Shino will think if he sees him tailing him. "Say what you will about me," the kids, not seeing him there before, jump at his quiet, scathing tone, but just sneer when they see who it is, "but I won't allow you to speak of my friends like you know them." He glares behind ever-present sunglasses. "Why? Because your brains are too small to comprehend their struggles."

Naruto barely bites back a snort at that, can't help smirking like a fiend. This is probably his favorite thing about Shino (about all of the Konoha 10, really, but Shino always brings his A-game with his take-no-prisoners sass that Naruto can't help but admire and respect): how unrepentantly protective he is of his friends!

"What do you know, bug-shit?" one of the bullies spits, pointing accusingly at him. "Hell, I bet you've been dumbed down and brainwashed just hanging around those losers! The three of you are as useless as it gets!"

Naruto grimaces in not-quite-sympathy, catching the difference in Shino's posture immediately. It's like lightning's struck him, so eerily stiff and stock-still. That does it. No more Mister Nice Guy! Naruto almost pities these idiots. Almost.

"Enough." Shino's voice carries through the deserted street, so much so that Naruto's eyes widen. He's never heard Shino get so loud before. He must really be pissed! He doesn't envy these jerks one bit! "Anyone who insults my friends will pay dearly. I'll make sure you remember that in the future," he vows. Slowly raising his arms, his bugs swarm around him in a dark cloud, and Naruto gulps, hiding himself a little more. "If I were you, I'd start running." Not that it will do them any good, but sue him. He likes to watch the little bastards squirm.

The bullies, rightfully scared shitless (a little late, in Naruto's mind, but Shino was right when he called them dumb), run screaming for the hills. They really screwed up this time, Naruto can't help but snicker with glee! True to his word, Shino's bugs give chase, and it's only a few seconds before shrieks and sobs echo in the distance.

With a satisfied "Hmph," Shino returns his hands to his jacket pockets, and if Naruto didn't know any better, he'd swear there's a small smirk on his face, too.

Naruto can only stare, starry eyes wide and mouth agape. Not only was that super cool (and a reminder to never piss Shino off if he can help it), but he's pretty sure that's the most he's ever heard Shino say at one time!

That's another thing he's really come to admire about Shino over the years: while Naruto has his reasons for being loud and calling attention to himself any way he can, Shino only speaks when necessary, making sure he's chosen his words carefully, never wasting them, never saying anything that doesn't need to be said.

When they first met, it actually concerned Naruto a fair bit. It didn't seem natural to be that quiet, so especially when he caught sight of the mean words on his skin, he thought something might really be wrong. But then, one day, he overheard Ino comforting a worried Sakura about it, saying, "He who knows speaks the least."

That made Naruto think. He thought back on all the times Shino finally said something, and every time, it was show-stopping or really smart or just plain hilarious! From that moment on, Naruto paid closer attention to anything Shino had to say, and he's never let him down!

Of course, Naruto still hates how cruel the other kids are. Can't they see that even if Shino doesn't show it on the outside like other people, their bullying still hurts on the inside? Maybe they're all just stupid and blind or just don't care, but he can see clearly how those awful words weigh on Shino in more subtle ways. The too-tense or too-low set of his shoulders, retreating into his high collar, when he's somehow quieter than usual, and there was that really worrying time a year or so ago when he stopped talking altogether. (Luckily, that hadn't lasted more than a few weeks, but still.)

How they can treat someone like that with no regard for how it makes them feel…! He curls a white-knuckled fist in his jacket, right over that weird mark that appears on his stomach sometimes. It's…it's foreign to him! He can't even fathom it. His own words, for instance… They tore him apart when he first found them, still do, and he could never, ever paint anyone with anything that cruel, not even close, especially people who don't deserve it. The very thought nearly makes him sick. The Konoha 10 are the nicest kids he's ever known! Wanting to hurt them like this, in a way that stains their skin and pains their souls, however temporarily… His knuckles crack. It's the lowest of the low!

That's why he's kept this word mission of his going since discovering his really do work with Choji. He knows what the Konoha 10 are going through with the bullies better than anyone else, and he wants to help them, all of them, in any way he can. He wishes he could do more, so much more, but…this is the best he can do with how much the villagers hate him. The adults would never listen and just ignore him like always if he tried to tell them what was going on, and with some of their families, the Hyuuga especially, if he tried to do anything more to help, it would only make trouble for them, and that's the last thing he wants.

Of course, all those troubled-righteous thoughts fly right out the window when Shino turns on him all of a sudden. Shit! Of course Shino would know he's here! If he thinks he's with the bullies, he's so in for it!

Naruto scrambles out of there as fast as his legs can carry him, praying there are no bugs following.

Shino, for his part, just stares after him, curious and amused, if a little concerned. Why would Naruto Uzumaki be watching him, let alone with such…awe and admiration on his face? It's not a look he's used to seeing on anyone but his friends and family, much less after seeing what his bugs can do. And why would he be going this way anyway? If he remembers correctly, his apartment building is in the opposite direction…

Realizing it's getting late, though, he opts to push those questions aside for now. He needs to get home. (Though he lets the pride of inspiring such a look on Naruto's face linger for a little while longer. He thinks he's earned that much, at least.)

That night, after eating dinner with his father and finishing his homework, Shino gets ready for bed. Taking off his jacket, he reaches for his t-shirt—only to freeze, breath catching in his throat.

There, written across his voicebox, is the word Decisive.

Shino hesitates before reaching for it, slow and cautious, like it's a scared wild animal that will bolt if he moves too quickly. It doesn't disappear when he touches it, doesn't smear or rub off like it would if this were some kind of cruel prank. No… This is a genuine good word someone put on him, thought about him so hard that it's lasted quite a few hours already, if not most of the school day, considering it wasn't there this morning when he got dressed.

His mind whirs, going back to what his friends have been saying about getting good words lately, one by one, Hinata's Strong and Kiba's Loyal at the forefront. So….looks like he's been chosen this time, huh…? Honestly, he's relieved. Happy, too. The others getting theirs makes sense, but he's…well, almost invisible compared to them. Secretly, he was afraid he'd be the odd one out, forgotten by this mysterious do-gooder who's chosen to bless the Konoha 10.

But knowing that's not the case, that someone outside their friends sees him for who he really is, how he wishes the rest of the world would see him…

For someone like him…this is earthshattering.

Now he understands how the others felt finding their good words. It's a wonderful feeling, better than almost anything he's ever felt in his life. More than ever, he wishes they knew who—!

All at once, he recalls his seconds-long interaction with Naruto Uzumaki, a few of the others mentioning Naruto being present before finding their new words, too, and Shino swallows, trembling fingers brushing his new word again.

The only hitch is, he and Naruto hardly know each other…don't they…?

Shaking his head, he slowly starts changing again, eyes never leaving his new word in the mirror. Whatever the case, Shikamaru and Neji will want to know about this first thing tomorrow, the former in particular.

After all, as it stands now, Shikamaru is the last (but if Shino's suspicions are correct, certainly not least).

Chapter Text

They're at lunch when Shikamaru gets the idea.

The rest of the Konoha 10 are all around him, chatting and laughing and having a good time. Choji's trading his rice cakes for some of Kiba's jerky, but as usual, he absolutely refuses to let anyone touch his barbecue-flavored potato chips. Not that they would have asked or tried, of course—they all know the rules by now—but it's still fun to tease him sometimes. Seeing Choji get fiery-eyed about anything is entertaining, but especially when it comes to food. Shikamaru snorts and rolls his eyes all too fondly.

And that's when he catches his eye.

There's a flash of gold in the corner of his vision, and Shikamaru does a double-take toward the far side of the Academy lunchyard. The kid's making himself so small, it's hard to tell right away, but once he sees bright blond hair, there's no mistaking it.

That's Naruto, all right, sitting on a lone bench against the fence under a tall tree's shade (all the better to hide him with, Shikamaru can't help but surmise). He's eating his usual cup ramen, his favorite food in the entire world as far as Shikamaru's seen, patiently waiting for it to cool as he sets it beside him. It's a warmer day today than it has been, so Naruto's words are visible.

Shikamaru's skin crawls and stomach twists at all the awful things he finds. Nuisance, germ, demon, monster, murderer, blood on your hands, waste of space, why don't you just die? It could be his imagination, but he could swear they've gotten worse since the last time he saw them, only two days ago. Hell, based on what he's seen, he suspects they get worse all the time.

He just doesn't understand why. Sure, Naruto can be loud and obnoxious, and his pranks can be disruptive, but he never does any real harm. Graffiti and paint on buildings and the Hokage Stone Faces, chalk-full erasers that splat on teachers' heads, messing with the clock to trick teachers into letting them go early… That's typical kid stuff. It's not like he steals or breaks things or actually hurts anyone. What about any of that could incite the villagers to put such disgusting words on a child?

And that's not even taking into account the ridiculous amount of bruises and cuts that, while their placement and severity may change, never seem to truly fade from Naruto's skin. It doesn't account for the honestly hateful glares he's seen Naruto get and the nasty whispers he's overheard the few times they've been in the shopping district at the same time. It doesn't explain why he's heard and watched Naruto be chased away from market stalls with brooms or physical threats and even bodily thrown from stores when he's had perfectly good money to spend.

All at once, these things that seemed so tiny, so insignificant, so much that Shikamaru didn't even remember them well until right now, hit him like a ton of bricks.

Suddenly feeling much more alert than he did just a second ago, he looks back over at Naruto and thinks about all the good words that have graced the Konoha 10 over the last few months.

Shikamaru's been wondering lately how to thank their mysterious word-giver, provided he can figure out who they are. And while there are still some outlying variables and other possibilities he has to make sense of and eliminate first and he doesn't know with absolute certainty that Naruto is the one who put them there…hypothetically speaking, if he is the one, then the idea currently forming in his head could help him with how to thank him down the line. And if he's not, well…everyone deserves a good word at least once in their lives, right?

Either way, it's not like he's got anything to lose.

On the other side of the lunchyard, Naruto is finishing the last of his ramen when he feels a familiar tingling on his forearm. Instantly, he stiffens, and his stomach plummets. Other people can't feel their words coming in, he's found, but he's always been more sensitive than most. The ones with the most intent behind them always feel like this, and they're never anything good. This spot in particular is one of the worst.

But for some reason he can't explain, something compels him to look down anyway—

His heart almost stops.

Important spans the entirety of the inside of his right forearm, completely overwriting the just die already that's occupied that spot for as long as he can remember.

He can't help but stare, mouth dropping open. He closes and rubs his eyes, pinches himself. He…can't believe it… This…can't be real, right? There must be some trick or catch or something. But try as he might to wipe and rub and lightly scratch it off, the word stays. As far as he can tell, it's not attached to any other words or phrases that could sully this miracle either.

So, then…could it be?

He's still having trouble processing it. After all, his whole life, he's only ever seen bad words on his skin. Something like this just…doesn't happen, not to him. But unless he's dreaming or this is the cruelest, most elaborate prank ever that he can't figure out, the only other option is…!

Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, he curls in on himself and brings his arm in closer, wanting to stare at it in secret peace. Just in case, though, he looks around to make sure no one's watching first—not that he thinks they will be, they usually prefer to pretend he doesn't exist unless they need entertainment, but still. Better safe than sorry.

He does a double-take when he sees someone actually is watching him. His eyes widen. It's Shikamaru. Naruto tilts his head, brow furrowed. Why would…he be watching him? Shikamaru's not like the others, never has been – doesn't call him names or push him around or beat him up or, at least as far as he knows, think anything hurtful to put on his skin. Well, he and the rest of the Konoha 10, he should say. They're the kindest kids Naruto's ever...well, known, he supposes would be the right word, considering he doesn't have anyone to actually call 'friend.' (Wouldn't that be something?)

Shikamaru doesn't seem to be staring at him for any particular reason, he doesn't think...but he's still staring, almost like he's looking or waiting for something, and Naruto doesn't know what to make of that. The thought that he might have seen his arm flashes through his mind, and he instantly curls into himself more.

He doesn't want this taken away from him, too. Please not this...

When he looks down at it again, the word Important written right there on his skin, the prettiest thing Naruto swears he's ever seen, he can't help the tears that sting his eyes, the small, bright smile that paints his face.

It's the first time, the only time he can remember, that a good word has ever appeared on his skin. It's the first time anyone's ever thought anything good about him – that he's more than a nuisance or a germ or—hell, that he's a person, too, just like the rest of them!

It's...it's the first time...he's felt like...like he matters...that there might actually be a reason he's here...a reason he's alive...! Maybe, eventually, if things work out for him somehow, against all the odds...maybe he'll be able to find someone who believes in him, too, like...like a friend...!

The very idea, the notion, that perhaps his future friend might have been the one to think this beautiful word into existence on his skin...it just makes Naruto smile wider, his tears flow freer. He wants that...! He wants it so much, more than anything...!

He slowly lowers his head onto his arm, his eyes never leaving that sacred word, staying until it's just a blurry, black smudge because he's so close, but he doesn't care. He knows what it is, what it says, and that's all that matters. He wonders how long it'll stay. He wants to take care of it. It means so much.

Heart overflowing with hope and appreciation and gratitude and love, Naruto grits his teeth against the overcome sobs that want to sneak out, tiny shoulders wracking with them. He doesn't think he's ever been this happy...!

A stunned Shikamaru hasn't taken his eyes off Naruto. He never thought his little experiment would get a reaction like this…! Part of him wonders if—his stomach rolls—Naruto's never gotten a good word before…

There's a kind hand on his shoulder. "You okay, Shikamaru?"

Casting a final glance at Naruto, a gentle smile flits across Shikamaru's face. He nods Choji's way. "Just fine."

He files it all away in the back of his mind.

Shikamaru was expecting it to happen to all of them eventually, most likely one by one.

But somehow, he forgot to include himself in the equation.

Most of the words on him are ones he's used to. He's seen and heard them his whole life. Things like lazy, showoff, smartass, arrogant, cheater, and more dye his skin like the assignments he falls asleep on. Even when they fade, they reappear just as quickly.

It makes sense. The other kids are envious and not willing to understand or better themselves, so they take it out on him instead. The usual jerk kid stuff, really. But as far as he's concerned, he's pretty immune to them. Sure, it used to bother him a little when he was younger, but then he met Choji, and he's always had Ino to talk (or smack) some sense into him when he gets down about it, which is rare, so at least he knows not everyone feels that way. And these days, he knows who he is, and he's okay with the other kids not getting it. He has his friends and his parents, and he's fine if no one else gets him. After all, what more does he need?

Of course...that's when the mysterious do-gooder strikes.

It's after a particularly trying day in Mission Tactics class. He got full credit plus bonus points for an above-and-beyond logic score on one of the hardest exams of the year, and the pissed, spiteful thoughts of his peers immediately spread like an ink spill across his skin. Cheat, lazy shit, wise-ass, smug bastard, teacher's pet, kiss-ass, go away, disappear, and so many more.

Shikamaru can feel Choji staring, anxious eyes so wide that his eyebrows have vanished into his hairline. "S-Shikamaru…"

Ino glares at the words like they've personally offended her, which they absolutely have, clenching her fists so hard that they turn white and shake, the Brave across her knuckles a stark, meaningful contrast. "Shikamaru…" she growls, gritting her teeth, "…lemme at 'em! I'll kill 'em!"

Behind them a good few rows, a furious Naruto can't help but agree. Shikamaru didn't do anything wrong! So he aced a test he slept through the material for, so what? That's practically his thing! He's just that amazing! He's a genius, damn it! That's kind of what geniuses do! Well, not Neji, but he's a different kind of genius, just like there are all different kinds of people! Just because Shikamaru is better at something than these other guys, it doesn't mean he should be punished for it, especially not like this! Naruto knows better than anyone that no one deserves to be punished like this!

But just like Naruto figured he would, Shikamaru just shrugs. "It's not like it's a big deal or anything. You guys worry too much."

Does it upset him? Okay, yeah, maybe a little. His classmates have gotten mad at him before for sleeping through class and still acing everything the teachers throw at him, they've been rude and biased and green with envy, but...it's never been like this. Shikamaru's not sure why it's so bad this time. Maybe because they're getting closer and closer to graduating, and he knows for a fact nearly all of them are failing. Maybe they're just scared of what their parents will say. Hell, maybe it's just how they are. Since most of them pick on Naruto all the time, that seems as good a guess as any.

Whatever their reasons, he just wishes they'd get over themselves. He doesn't want or need their approval. He, Ino, Choji, and all their friends are going to be some of the best shinobi this village has ever seen someday. He knows they will. And all these other guys, the ones calling him all these hurtful things? They'll barely be a memory, a passing glance from the past without a face or a name to put there. That is how little their opinions should matter.

(So...why do their words still hurt...?)

He's heading for the door with a worried Choji and a protesting Ino on either side when he feels eyes on him and looks toward the back of the class to find Naruto staring. The kid starts and turns away instantly, like he's afraid he'll be yelled at for even looking his way. But that's not the weird part. There's something off about him, Shikamaru just can't put his finger on what. Not wanting to worry his friends, though, he brushes it off and keeps going.

It only hits him later, as he's falling asleep: there were tears in Naruto's eyes.

Shikamaru has to remind himself to breathe when he wakes up the next day to find Genius written diagonally across his temple.

He swears he stares at and traces it in the mirror for half an hour before his mother yells up the stairs that he's going to be late, and he rushes to finish getting ready (not that he really cares about getting there on time, but Choji will worry if he's late, Ino, too, especially after yesterday, and that he does care about!).

He just happens to pass Naruto on his rush inside—

—and it's like everything goes in slow motion.

He and Naruto lock eyes, and Naruto takes in the new word written on his skin. His eyes widen, and then a smile like the damn sun overtakes his face, so bright that Shikamaru actually has to blink in the face of it. Naruto either doesn't mind or thinks Shikamaru's stopped paying him any because his smile turns shy and soft and sweet in the next moment, like sunlight through clouds, and he closes his eyes to tuck it into his too-big orange sweater and blue scarf.

Shikamaru's gone stock-still. That expression on his face...it's so...soft...and warm and selfless... He's...he's so happy to see this word given life, to see Shikamaru so delighted by it (because he knows Naruto's noticed the uplift in him, it's just how he is)...

And in that moment, there's no longer a single shadow of a doubt in his mind.

Naruto stops a good few paces ahead, turning back to Shikamaru with a concerned tilt of his head. "You coming?"

Inside, Shikamaru's still reeling. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat with considerable effort, he manages a nod and jogs to catch up. "Y-yeah, sure…"

Shikamaru knows, for sure now.

It all comes back to him.

Chapter Text

When the last member of the Konoha 10 pads their way into the clubhouse (actually a treehouse cradled deep in the forest that makes up much of the Nara compound), Shikamaru releases a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

Finally, they can get started!

He's been restless with nervous energy ever since yesterday—specifically, since his epiphany with Naruto. Everyone who knows Shikamaru knows that's not normal, and his best friends and his parents, especially his father, have been ridiculously curious (hell, Ino's practically been tearing her hair out (metaphorically, of course)), but they know better than to push. He'll tell them when he's ready. He always does. Until then, they trust him to do the right thing.

And oh, Shikamaru has plans, all right! There are just a few extraneous details to put out to pasture first.

He steps up to the front of the small room, gathering everyone's attention on him. He's not usually one for taking charge, especially not willingly, but this is a special circumstance if there ever was one. He'll let this be his one exception.

"All right. Now that we're all here, we can get down to business." He slowly looks around at them all. "I'm ninety-nine percent sure I know who our mystery word-giver is."

As expected, it's like a bomb goes off.

"R-really?"

"No way! Who is it?"

"Is it someone we know?"

"How long have you known?"

"How did you find out?"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Bark, bark!

"Everybody, stop!"

The room goes quiet instantly.

That's another thing about Shikamaru: he never yells. He hates expending that much energy, and on top of that, he feels there are less disruptive and more effective ways of getting people's attention. But in a select few cases, like this one, he deems it necessary, and it seems to have done the trick.

He sighs. Boy, he's really not cut out for this leader stuff… Well, at least the more hotheaded ones (namely Ino and Kiba) aren't trying to kick his ass—yet.

Taking a deep breath, he dives back in.

"I said I'm almost certain. There's still room for error, and there are some things I'd like to rule out and account for, so before I tell you…" he pulls out a box of paper and pencils and sets it on the small table in the middle of the room, "…I'm gonna ask you to write down everyone who was there when you got your words." Seeing their confusion, he explains, "I know we've talked about it before, but I just want everything in writing. That way, I can use the process of elimination to make sure I'm right. I don't want to be wrong and ruin everything this person's worked so hard for by giving the credit to someone else."

Especially if it's Naruto. That would practically be criminal.

It doesn't take more than a few seconds and a cursory glance or two between them before his friends are reaching to do as asked, passing paper and pencils across the room. Normally, some of them might grumble and complain that this is just like schoolwork, but not this time. They trust Shikamaru and his judgment. He doesn't put his effort into things he doesn't believe in, and they've never seen him put this much effort into anything before. Besides, they've been dying to know who's been putting these incredible words on them for months now, and if this is what they have to do to finally get to the bottom of it once and for all, they'll do it!

Their trust isn't at all lost on Shikamaru, and while he definitely feels the pressure (Is this what all leaders feel like? He feels pretty sorry for his Dad, then…), it also leaves him feeling pretty damn humbled. He won't let it go to waste either. If he's right about this, by the time they leave the clubhouse today, they'll have a plan in hand and, hopefully, if all goes well tomorrow, a new friend for life!

He already did his own write-up yesterday post-epiphany when he normally would've been sleeping through class (Iruka-sensei nearly keeled over from shock), but he still looks it over to make sure he didn't miss or forget anything. So far, everything checks out.

While he waits for his friends to finish, he absently traces the Genius across his temple and lets his eyes roam over their good words.

Naruto is a puzzle all his own. He blips onto a person's radar only when he wants to be seen. Otherwise, he's like a ghost or, well, a ninja. Sometimes his pranks make him the center of an entire morning's lecture, and other times, Shikamaru swears he's gone days without hearing a peep out of him. (All very good, honestly impressive traits to have in a ninja-in-training, he thinks.)

And yet, by silently giving out these good words, Naruto's said so much about himself and who he really is. He must have been observing them, watching them, admiring them for a long time—hell, for years at this point, maybe as long as they've known each other, and it clearly shows in the thought and care he put into each and every one of the words he chose.

Take his own word, for example. Anyone else would think it's for his book smarts alone, and okay, yeah, that's fair. But Shikamaru knows there's more to it than that. Ever since that day at lunch—hell, since this whole thing started—he's very quickly come to realize there's always more to it where Naruto's concerned.

This Genius was meant as congratulations on his test, yes, but also as a silent way to encourage him and celebrate quieter things that only someone who truly knows Shikamaru would know about, like his people-reading skills, situational assessment skills, his sense of right and wrong, and his ability to overcome his own shortcomings if it means taking care of someone else.

The others' words, too. They fit so well that it's almost like a missing piece to their souls. Anyone else might find it kind of creepy that Naruto knows them so well when they barely know him, but Shikamaru isn't just anyone. It takes a different kind of person, an incredibly special, insanely observant kind of person, to pick up on all the things about them that Naruto has, a lot of which they only show their families and the other Konoha 10, and use that intel for nothing but the crazy amount of good he has.

Honestly, when Shikamaru really thinks about it, it's freaking amazing. He wishes he knew more, though, like why Naruto chose them to bless. He's guessing it's because they're bullied like he is, and he wants to help in the only way he knows won't cause them trouble with the rest of the village.

That last thought conjures the image of a gut-wrenchingly lonely Naruto half-hiding behind the village gates, smiling softly as he gives the Konoha 10 all the good words he can, while the villagers loom behind him and paint more and more horrible ones on him like he's some kind of outsider. It makes Shikamaru's heart pang. Whether he's right or not after this…he still wants to do something for Naruto. With everything Shikamaru's seen and realized about him over the course of this adventure, he can't just go back to the way things were.

Of course, all this is provided he’s even correct. He'll just have to wait and see.

One by one, his friends pass their papers up, and Shikamaru writes and tallies up the names that at least half the reports have in common on the large chalkboard set up at the front of the room.

Kenta - 6

Hibachi - 8

Unagi - 7

Kikyo - 5

Asuna - 7

Naruto - 10

When it's put in writing like this, there's almost no point in doing a count. This is exactly what Shikamaru needed to see for himself. He's never been one for variables. Even a one percent chance of failure can cause a mission to go south. He believes in nothing less than absolutes.

That said, even the half-percent still hanging on's gonna have to go if he wants to set his plan into motion.

"I'm gonna go down the list in numerical order from lowest to highest and start eliminations. Any questions?"

None. Good.

"Okay. Everybody who did not write Kikyo and Kenta's names, are you sure they weren't there?"

There's a thoughtful pause, and then come nine confirmations. Shikamaru strikes them out.

Kenta - 6

Hibachi - 8

Unagi - 7

Kikyo - 5

Asuna - 7

Naruto - 10

"Okay," Shikamaru makes a bit of a face here, and he’s not the only one, "how about Unagi and Asuna?"

Unagi is best friends with Hibachi, the biggest bully in their year, and even though he doesn't always agree with what Hibachi says or does and how he treats others, he never makes a move to stop him either, joining in more often than not. That makes him just as bad, in Shikamaru's opinion.

Six replies come in, and Shikamaru crosses them out.

Kenta - 6

Hibachi - 8

Unagi - 7

Kikyo - 5

Asuna - 7

Naruto - 10

And then, there are two.

Shikamaru heaves a drawn out sigh while the rest of them scowl. They hate this guy so much… "What about Hibachi?"

Two confirming grumbles, and Shikamaru gladly hacks his name off the list.

Kenta - 6

Hibachi - 8

Unagi - 7

Kikyo - 5

Asuna - 7

Naruto - 10

"And Naruto?"

Dead silence.

His friends' never-say-die grins come with it, Neji's the most pronounced, and Shikamaru can't help but smirk right back. The hopeful anticipation that's been building inside him since yesterday can finally be released!

He circles Naruto's name once, twice, three times.

Kenta - 6

Hibachi - 8

Unagi - 7

Kikyo - 5

Asuna - 7

Naruto - 10

Knowing he's about to lose his friends to excited chatter (not that he can blame them, he's feeling pretty damn giddy himself!), Shikamaru raises his voice momentarily to keep their attention on him. "I'm glad you're excited, but I feel like I should tell you my other reasons for thinking Naruto's our guy."

This piques Neji's interest in particular. "'Other reasons'? What do you mean?"

Shikamaru slides his hands into his pockets. "To be honest, I've suspected Naruto from the very beginning, ever since he stalled on his way home when those jerks were picking on Choji." He sends a half-apologetic smile Choji's way, but his best friend just grins knowingly. He shrugs. "But you guys know me by now. I don't like to make a move without having all the facts." He meets Neji's eyes. "Everything that's happened since has only pushed me further toward Naruto, but these last two reasons are in a league of their own. They're what prove to me, without a shadow of a doubt, that it can't be anyone but Naruto."

He tells them all about his little lunch experiment a few days ago, calling special attention to, of course, how Naruto reacted. He goes into detail about how he's witnessed the villagers treat Naruto firsthand and ends with his theory that, before that lunch period, Naruto had never gotten a good word in his life.

By the time he's done, his friends are pale and quiet, stone-still. Anyone else would think they're just shocked out of their minds, but Shikamaru knows better. They are shocked, yes, but they're also pissed as hell. They're not blind or stupid, after all. He knows they've read the awful things that paint Naruto's skin, and he's sure they've seen Naruto be treated just as cruelly as he has—and just like he did that day at lunch, they're probably only fully realizing now just how sickening and wrong it all is. Especially because they don't understand why. Why the words are there, why Naruto is treated so badly. Hell, since that day at lunch, Shikamaru's barely slept over it, wishing he understood, wishing he had something to tell them, wishing he could do more to help. (Because if there's one thing he hates, it's being left in the dark about things he considers important. Which is just another reason he's started a little investigation in the shadows.)

He goes on to tell them what happened in class to get him his word two days ago and then about his run-in with Naruto yesterday morning. How every little thing that didn't make sense about this whole situation suddenly clicked into place for him the second he saw Naruto's blinding beam that turned into that sweet, secret smile he tucked into his scarf for safe-keeping. (And if Shikamaru's smile grows and voice gentles while he tells that last part, no one mentions it.)

Feeling calmer now, color returning to their cheeks and smiles lighting their faces, the rest of the Konoha 10 take a few minutes to think on what they've been told.

Over the years, Naruto's never been anything but nice to all of them. Sure, he's not always the quietest and his pranks can be annoying, but at his core, he's always been kind. That's why, in the back of their minds, they've always wondered why he's always alone, why he's always covered in injuries and some of the worst words they've ever seen, and why the adults and other kids are always warning them to stay away and picking on him like it's their job. They've never done anything about it because he's always smiling, never really seemed bothered, so they thought he must be fine...

They could strangle themselves for that. Combining what they know with what Shikamaru's just told them and their good word experiences…it makes them see Naruto in a whole new light. He's like the sun, drawing them all into his orbit and brightening their lives without even realizing. More than a few of them tear up from the sheer emotion of it all.

Hell, Shikamaru is the most emotional of all of them, tears threatening to fall as he beams up a storm, something that throws the rest of them for a loop. He's not as surprised as he feels he should be. He felt the same way yesterday when he realized Naruto was the one. He can only hope his beam is even half as bright as Naruto's was then.

He's so glad they understand now, too. He wishes he'd woken up sooner.

"You're absolutely right, Shikamaru," Neji speaks up at last, voice soft, but Shikamaru picks out the righteous fury underneath as easily as which strategy to use in shogi. "Those reasons alone would be more than enough to believe it's Naruto, but especially with his presence at every one of our blessings…" A smug smirk slides onto his face. "It seems you and I were on the right track this whole time."

Ino rolls her eyes, exasperatedly fond. "Geniuses…"

Lee raises his hand. "I, for one, am very happy to know that it is Naruto!"

"Me, too!" Sakura agrees, and similar calls follow after.

"Yeah, really!" Tenten laughs, shuddering. "Can you imagine if Hibachi had been the odd one out?"

Choji makes a face and whines, "Tenten, you're gonna make me lose my appetite…"

"I'm glad, too. However, all this does beg the question." All eyes snap to Shino. Unlike most people, they know to listen when he talks. "Now that we know it's Naruto, what will we do about it?"

Shikamaru instantly raises calming hands. "I've thought long and hard about that, and I have an idea, but I also don't think we should get ahead of ourselves." That earns him more than a few confused looks, and he can't blame them. "Remember, even if we don't know the reasons behind it, the rest of the village sees Naruto as beneath them, something less, something they wish would disappear."

Every face in the room turns stormy at the reminder, and Shikamaru can't help but smirk. This is why they're friends.

"Which is why we have to be very careful about how we move from here on out. Mainly because it could be problematic if any of our families aren't okay with us interacting with Naruto."

Sakura tilts her head. "'Interacting'?"

Shikamaru nods. “Mm hmm. I was thinking we’d thank Naruto tomorrow, and then, as long as everyone’s okay with it, we’d invite him into our fold permanently.”

The way absolutely everyone lights up like a supernova at the very idea warms his heart like nothing else. God, he loves them so much.

"Hell, yeah!" Kiba howls, Akamaru barking eagerly from his spot inside his jacket.

"That is a wonderful idea, Shikamaru!" Lee cheers, eyes shining.

"Yeah! I don't know how we didn't think of it before!" Tenten bolsters, excited fists curled at half-mast.

"This might be the best idea you've ever had, Shikamaru!" Ino half-teases, and Shikamaru smirks at the way he knows she'll be taking the kid under her Mother Hen wing.

Equally excited sentiments come from the others, so many that Shikamaru’s honestly feeling a little flustered. He’s not sure one of his plans has ever made them so happy.

"Do you—do you really think we can be his friend, Shikamaru?" Sakura asks, tentatively hopeful.

Shikamaru shrugs. "Provided our families aren't against it, I don't see why not. Naruto seems starved for friends," that's being generous, "so I think it'd make him really happy. And I don't know about the rest of you, but after everything he's done for us, I can't just turn a blind eye. Whatever's going on with him, it isn't right, and I won't take it lying down anymore." He jabs a thumb at himself. "From now on, if anybody messes with him, they mess with me, too."

The others are right there with him, no hesitation. "Yeah!"

Shikamaru eyes them all seriously. "And that's exactly why I need you guys to be sure about this. Regardless of how you feel or what's right, if you think you'll get in trouble with your families for making friends with Naruto, we don't have to. We can thank him tomorrow and then go our separate ways, helping him out at school where we can. If you're worried about even thanking him, I've thought up cover stories for each of us, so you don't have to worry or feel guilty about anything. I don't want to cause trouble for anyone, and I know Naruto would want that even less. I can pretty much guarantee you that's why he's remained anonymous this whole time." In some cases more than others.

They take about half an hour to talk amongst themselves, but in the end, the majority of them think their families will be fine with it (and if anyone complains to their parents, they’ll just laugh in their faces).

Lee and Tenten, some of the last few deliberating, finally look at each other and shrug. "Our foster families won't mind!"

Sakura bites her lip, rubbing the pretty red ribbon Ino gave her between her fingers for strength. "My—my parents have always pulled me away from Naruto and said I should stay away from him, but…" curling tiny fists at half-mast, her face pinches with determination, "…I think—I think I can convince them! They've seen how happy his word's made me, and—and I really think they'll give him a chance if they hear about all the great things he's written on all of us!" She nods, a rare confident smirk painting her face. "Don't worry! They'll be fine!"

Shikamaru nods, satisfied. "Good. Keep me posted, though, just in case."

"Of course!"

The only one left now is Hinata, who's gone quiet and scarcely said a word this whole time.

She's nestled between Neji and Kiba on the small couch against the wall, Shino sitting at their feet. Besides Uncle Hizashi's room at the compound (she refuses to call it something as sacred as 'home'), she always feels safest at school or in this treehouse, surrounded by all her friends, her family. She's grateful to have them beside her right now.

Trembling, head bowed, teary eyes fixed on her knees, she coughs harshly into her hand and reaches up to curl a white-knuckled fist at her chest as she feels her throat start to close. She squeezes her eyes shut. She's been trying her best to use the calming techniques and breathing exercises Neji and Uncle Hizashi have taught her, but she can tell she's still on the verge of a panic attack.

The very notion of her father finding out she's not only interacted with Naruto, something she's been warned about over and over, but also become his—his frie—!

A tear or two falls as her throat closes up a little more, and she glares, frustrated with herself. She's holding everyone back! She's…she's the reason poor Naruto…!

Shikamaru and Neji lock eyes. They knew her asshole of a father would be the most troublesome obstacle.

Neji gently takes her hand and places it over his heart, Shino leans back against her legs, Kiba rubs her back, and Akamaru crawls out of Kiba's jacket to curl up in her lap. Sniffling through the breathing exercises she restarts with Neji out of sheer determination to regain control, she manages a tiny "I-I'm sorry…! T-thank you…!"

Shikamaru slowly kneels down in front of her, keeping his voice low and gentle. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Hinata. You're just fine. I planned for this, remember? I have everything figured out. You can still participate in spirit with whatever we decide to do for Naruto. We'll just have Neji stand in for both of you. I know Naruto will understand. Neji and I will make sure your contribution isn't overlooked, I promise." He softens, guilt weighing on his heart. He wishes he could have eased her into this somehow. "It's not anyone's fault but your bastard of a father. It'll be okay. Don't you worry."

That eases some of the tension in her shoulders and the pressure in her chest, but it only strengthens her resolve. Once a good minute or two has passed, she's managed to fight off the panic attack almost entirely, mostly on her own, and Neji couldn't be prouder if he tried. Drying her tears with the handkerchief Ino hands over, she lifts her head, and they're all taken aback by the defiance sharp as kunai in her eyes.

"No."

She squeezes Neji's hand, scratches Akamaru behind his ears, runs her hand through Shino's hair, and threads her fingers through (a blushing) Kiba's. Her gaze softens when it finds Shikamaru. She loves and appreciates every single one of her friends so much.

"Whether or not I'm the heiress my father wants, I am still the next clan head. After everything Naruto's done for us, I can't turn my back on him just because I'm—" she squeezes Neji and Kiba's hands for strength and purchase, "—s-scared. I'd never be able to forgive myself. I want to thank Naruto, too. I want him to know how much he's helped me and Neji, all of us. He's…he's always seemed so lonely, and I want to help change that for him if I can. He deserves that much, the same kindness he's shown us." Biting her lip to steel her nerves, she lets loose a mischievous smirk, the kind she only ever shows around them (that sends Kiba's heart into overdrive every time). "My father can punish me all he wants. I'm not backing down."

Fierce pride radiates off everyone in the room, but none more so than the four boys surrounding her.

"Well said, princess," Shikamaru praises, gently ruffling her hair.

"If your father does anything, you tell us, okay?" Kiba presses, Akamaru whine-barking in turn.

"I can send my bugs to torture him all night," Shino offers, the threat in his tone sending chills down the others' spines.

“Don’t worry, Lady Hinata,” Neji reassures. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Hinata smiles and nods, cheeks warming. "T-thank you, everyone!"

"So, how do you think we should thank Naruto, Shikamaru?" Choji asks, unable to contain his curiosity anymore.

Shikamaru can't help but grin as he dives headfirst into his plan.

He doesn't even have to ask what they think when he's done. Obviously thrilled or not, he's almost surprised no one comes to check on them with all the noise they're making.

"Then it's decided!" Shikamaru puts his hand in the center of all his friends, meeting their eyes one by one. "Tomorrow, we thank and befriend Naruto!"

Piling their hands on top of his like they can't do it fast enough, the infamous Konoha 10 throw their hands in the air.

"Yeah!"

Chapter Text

The next day, Naruto doesn't make a break for his apartment as soon as classes let out.

They get a day off from the Academy tomorrow, and whenever that happens, the bullies are usually in too much of a rush to really bother with him. So instead, he hunkers down on his swing (no one else has touched it since he 'tainted it' years ago) to people-watch the other kids.

It's something he's always done during downtime like this. When he watches the other kids smile and laugh and have a good time, he imagines what it would be like to be with them, to know what having people who actually like and care for him is all about. He used to try to shove down those daydreams, those heartfelt wishes, because they only ever ended with him hurt, but…it's gotten harder and harder as he's grown. For the last year or two, he hasn't even bothered. Because even if it hurts…it still brings him some comfort.

It's not long before, just like always, ever since he met them and especially over the last several months, he finds himself drawn to a particular group of kids.

The Konoha 10.

They've always been different from everyone else in this village, sans Teuchi and Ayame. They don't hurt Naruto in any of the number of ways the adults and other kids do. They never have, at least as far as Naruto's aware. Hell, the worst they ever do is complain about his pranks sometimes, which, to be fair, is justified (especially when Iruka-sensei doesn't shut up about it for all of homeroom).

When they first met at the Academy all those years ago, Naruto honestly thought it was a fluke. Maybe they didn't know who he was. Maybe they hadn't seen the way literally everyone else treated him. But once they did, Naruto was sure they'd join in eventually. That's just the way things worked for him.

But…they never did.

They still don't.

And given the insane contrast between that and everything Naruto's ever known, sue him for wanting to understand, to know why. Because if they can do it, why can't the rest of them? What do they see in him (or not) that slipped past everyone else?

Well, after all these years of observing and coming to understand the Konoha 10 better than any of their jerk classmates ever could, Naruto thinks he gets it.

As far as he's seen, the Konoha 10 are just good, through and through. They actively choose to form their own opinions instead of letting others decide for them, to get to the heart of matters on their own instead of dismissing and deriding whatever doesn't fit in. It's what makes them kinder and more accepting than the average person, at least from Naruto's perspective. Hell, that's probably what brought them all together in the first place, realizing that they're all misfits, so they might as well make a family out of it.

They're just...special that way.

And while those realizations might seem small and insignificant to anyone else, the knowledge that Naruto has a select few in this village (especially around his age) who don't treat him like the scum on their shoes…even if all they'll ever be is classmates, barely more than acquaintances, just kids who know each other by proxy…it still means the world to him.

It means everything.

He's always wanted to thank them, to tell them how warm it makes him feel, how it helps when the loneliness vice-grips his heart and turns his thoughts darker than the night sky. Hell, it's a huge reason he started this word-giving escapade of his. He can't help with their bullies outright (no matter how much he wishes he could), but he can make them feel better afterward, let them know it's okay, that they're not alone and their bullies are just jealous jerks at the end of the day. He wishes with all his heart he could do more because they deserve it…but with the way things are for him, his good words will have to do. He just hopes it's enough.

Speak of the devil…

The Konoha 10 are far enough across the schoolyard that, as far as he's learned, normal people wouldn't be able to hear them, but Naruto can. They're chatting excitedly about all the good words on their skin, showing them off and comparing them, and Naruto's glad to see them enjoying themselves, so delighted by the words he's so painstakingly chosen. He smiles to himself, feeling light and warm inside.

"What are you smiling at, freak?"

Naruto jumps and looks up to find some of his rougher bullies, smile dropping like a stone. Damn it! Looks like his usual break strategy didn't work. He tries to find an opening to escape, but he's surrounded. He grips the swing's ropes tighter, mentally bracing himself. This'll be fun…

PUSH!

He's shoved off the swing hard, one of his elbows opening up as he skids across the dirt. Before he can even try to sit up or defend himself, they're coming in hard and fast, and Naruto reels back, curling up to protect himself from the blows and kicks that always come.

Except this time, they never do.

He waits a few extra seconds in case he just got lucky, and then he takes a peek. His eyes blow open wide.

The bullies are all frozen mid-strike, struggling, but unable to do anything. He looks around for who in the world could have helped him, who would, and then Shikamaru Nara walks up, hands in his signature Shadow Paralysis jutsu position.

"You know, last I checked, six against one isn't fair."

Naruto can't look away. The rest of the Konoha 10, all the kids he's helped, are all at Shikamaru's back with fierce grins and cracking knuckles, ready and waiting to kick some ass.

Shikamaru levels the bullies with a molten glare and bares his teeth in a way that would put any Inuzuka to shame. "If you bastards want Naruto, you'll have to go through us!"

"Yeah!"

"Absolutely!"

"You got that right!"

"We'll tear ya to pieces! Right, Akamaru?"

Bark, bark!

Shikamaru can't help but let some amusement bleed into his expression. His friends really are the best! "You heard 'em! So, are ya gonna run home to your mommies like the little piss-ants you are," his eyes glint like kunai in the moonlight, his shadows squeezing in warning, "or are we gonna have to teach you a lesson right here?"

Pale and trembling (and from what Kiba and Akamaru can smell, practically pissing themselves), the bullies nearly trample each other in their haste to escape. The louder members of the Konoha 10 boo them on their way out, putting even more feeling behind it when they see Naruto's blood in the dirt.

Once they're alone, Naruto doesn't waste any time. On hands and knees, he bows as low as he can, forehead touching the ground.

"T-thank you so much! For h-helping me!"

The others are startled. They weren't expecting that kind of reaction. But Shikamaru… He thinks he understands.

He takes a few careful, quiet steps toward him, not wanting to scare him, and crouches down to his level. He hesitates before slowly resting a feather-light hand on Naruto's hair.

Naruto's eyes shoot open, breath hitches and heart stutters, and he freezes on instinct and out of habit, but he doesn't let himself flinch like he absolutely normally would. He's thrown, flashing back to when Ino touched Sakura's head like this. It's just as soft and warm and kind as he imagined it would be, and he can't believe it's happening to him.

He'll freely admit he's freaking out inside, just a bit. It's a good, happy freaking, but part of him's still reeling. This…this has never happened before. Teuchi and Ayame have always been nice to him, but besides that, it's...been hard. That's being generous, maybe ridiculous, he knows, but it's true, too. No one's ever touched him like this before, so sweet and soft and not painful. It doesn't hurt. It...it wants to take away the hurt, he's pretty sure – he, Shikamaru, does – and that's...it leaves him wide-eyed and speechless, breathless. Hell, he has to blink back tears, and while he succeeds, he's not sure how long it'll last. This is...uncharted territory, after all.

And yet, for all that, he can't stop himself from leaning into it, just a bit, then even more when Shikamaru goes a step further and ruffles his hair. He doesn't know why he's comfortable with this, with Shikamaru, but...he is, and he's not about to waste it.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru...his heart's in his throat.

They've been classmates for years, and Naruto's been observing them, learning about them, forever, but they've only just started really seeing him recently, all things considered. And because of that, he's only now realizing...that Naruto's never been touched like this, in any way other than to inflict pain. It dawns on him just how touch-starved Naruto is, just how much he's taken from the villagers and how much it's affected him. The thought makes him want to be sick and punch out every single person in this village who's ever laid a hand on him, never mind all the ones who hurt him with their cruel, ignorant thoughts on his innocent skin. Naruto's scared and hurting and scarred in so many ways...but all he's cared about over the last few months is making them happy. Making them smile and laugh and even cry happy tears instead of ever feeling anything bad.

Shikamaru feels his heart melt for this precious little ray of sunshine. He's the most ridiculously selfless person he's ever met.

Shikamaru's hand leaves, and Naruto blinks at the sudden chill that takes its place, looking up to make sure he hasn't imagined this whole thing. Instead, he's startled to find a helpless smile on Shikamaru's face. He's…not used to people smiling at him…

"You don't have to thank us, you know." Naruto starts again at his gentle tone. "If anything, we should be the ones thanking you."

Naruto blinks wide blue eyes. "'T-thank me'?" He tilts his head. "What for?"

And Shikamaru just frowns at him like he's impossible. But not like...he's annoying him or like he's an idiot like everyone else. It's like…—! Naruto's breath catches, hardly daring to hope. He's…something precious…? His heart skips. He's...never been looked at like that before...

They all reveal their good words as one, and Shikamaru jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "This was you, right?"

Naruto's stunned, cheeks dusting pink. He can't believe it. And here he thought he was being careful...

He blinks at the hand that appears in his vision and looks up to find Shikamaru, ready and waiting to help him up. Dumbfounded, he looks from Shikamaru to the hand and back, just to make sure. Shikamaru merely stretches his hand out a little more, and Naruto only hesitates a moment more before he sets his hand in his.

Shikamaru pulls him up with barely any effort, Naruto being a lot smaller than his clothes make him look, and Naruto almost forgets to let go of his hand once he's on his feet before he remembers and pulls back, blushing something fierce as he cradles his hand. He can't help but stare down at it in wonder. Someone else's warmth feels…so nice...

His gaze moves back to Shikamaru. He stares a few moments, considering, before he guesses, "It was you...wasn't it?" Shikamaru raises an eyebrow, a small "Hmm?" leaving him. "You put it all together, led them back to me."

For a moment, Shikamaru's eyes widen, but only just. After that, his face breaks out into a grin, and he laughs. Leave it to Naruto to figure him out so easily. He may have gotten to know Naruto through all this, but he forgot…Naruto's been watching all of them way, way longer. He finds it endearing and feels a twinge of pride. They're more alike than he ever thought they'd be, that's for sure.

Finally, he shrugs. "It was a group effort. We all put our evidence in a pile and worked it out together. Wasn't long before we found you to be the common denominator."

"You're being too modest, Shikamaru," Ino tells him, tone somewhat scolding with arms crossed over her chest. "You had him pegged from the start. And if it hadn't been for you, the rest of us might never have found out who it really was."

Shikamaru pouts, a bored look on his face. "Being in the spotlight isn't exactly my thing, Ino," he reminds, clearly already done with this conversation. Naruto wonders how many times they've had it. "You know that."

"Yeah, but still..."

Shaking his head, Shikamaru turns back to Naruto. "Look, it doesn't matter who figured it out. What matters is, we know it's you, and it's..." he reaches up to trace the genius along his temple almost reverently, "...it's really amazing, what you've done for us, especially without asking for anything in return. Hell, I'm pretty sure you never counted on us finding out, did you?"

Naruto flushes brightly and drops his eyes, fiddling with his fingers, and he shakes his head quickly. He wasn't sure what they'd think if they found out it was him, so... They've never been like the other kids, but...still... He was afraid of the backlash, if they didn't like his meddling or observing or...maybe they'd think it was invasive or creepy or not his place. He didn't...know what to expect, so...he figured anonymity was the way to go.

But now, he's...he's glad he was proven wrong. It's...this feels...scary in its own way, but...a lot better than the alternative, too. At least…so far…

Shikamaru can't help but soften at his frankly adorably sweet reaction. This kid really is something else. Something incredible. "Well, we wanted to thank you anyway, and I think we've figured out just how to do it." He regards Naruto gently, knowing what he's about to ask might be too much, but wanting to try anyway. It'll probably be a better surprise if he listens, but Shikamaru planned a few alternatives in case he refuses anyway. "So, would you mind...closing your eyes?"

Naruto's eyes widen, breath pauses, and for a moment, it's like his world stops. He glances around at all of them, his classmates he's observed silently for years, more so in the last months in wanting to help them, and he feels...a little funny being the center of things for once. Well, a good center, he should say. Usually, everyone thinks the worst of him. And yet, these guys...

His gaze comes back to Shikamaru's warm brown in the end, his kind, safe smile, and...

He just knows.

Taking a deep breath, almost comically so, Naruto screws his eyes shut and covers them with his hands for good measure. They're trembling the tiniest bit, not because he's scared they'll hurt him, but because he's nervous, not sure what they have in store for him. Today has had...a lot of 'firsts' for him.

The others, for their part, are ecstatic, barely able to contain their excitement. Apart from some excited whispers and laughs, it's quiet all around Naruto for a good minute or so, and it makes him even more nervous, but he stands tall. He knows they won't hurt him, knows the kind of people they are. He's...he knows he can trust Shikamaru, if nothing else.

Finally, Shikamaru calls, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

He lowers his hands, and it takes a few blinks for his eyes to readjust to the sunlight. Around him, the Konoha 10 are all grinning, beaming, and he isn't sure why. Sensing his confusion, Shikamaru nods toward him, and Naruto looks down.

His breath leaves him in a choked rush.

Important

Nice

Kind

Sweet

Loving

Protective

Selfless

Strong

Smart

Observant

Perceptive

Determined

Adorable

Dedicated

Hardworking

Incredible

Handsome

Special

Funny

Amazing

Sunshine

Loved

All these and so many more beautiful, amazing things are painted across his skin, completely overwriting the awful thoughts of the rest of the village.

Naruto barely has a chance to read a quarter of them before his vision blurs and tears start streaming, but he stubbornly wipes them away so he can read more, doing the same each time it gets to be too much. The lump in his throat is painful as hell, begs for release, but he doesn't care, just wants to read everything he can. He doesn't even notice that he's started trembling something fierce until he has trouble reading, and it's not long after that that his legs give out. His shoulders are already wracking with barely-suppressed sobs, small whines escaping here and there.

By the time he finishes reading every last incredible word, Naruto's had it. He's absolutely spent. He doesn't have any restraint left. He hopes they'll forgive him for the scene he's about to make. (Luckily, most everyone else has already gone home.)

Hugging himself, pressing his arms into himself as if the words will absorb through his skin onto his heart and stay with him forever, he bawls like his life depends on it. Head thrown back, tears absolutely flooding his face, lurching, happy sobs ringing out through the schoolyard. It's nothing pretty, so messy, but...maybe that's what makes it so real.

When he started this all those months ago, all he'd been thinking about was making their days better, putting smiles on their faces, making them happy. He hadn't thought anything like this would ever happen, that they'd ever figure out it was him, that they'd track him down, that they'd...that anyone would ever do something like this, for him.

The idea that he could be this lucky...hell, it was practically a freaking fairy tale for him...! But now...now...!

Shikamaru is the first to break out of their collectively stunned daze and step forward (because of course he is).

Dropping to his knees in front of Naruto, slowly so he doesn't scare him, he hesitates before reaching out to bring him into his arms. He starts out gentle, touch feather-light, but the way Naruto freezes in his hold for a long moment before he seems to realize he's being hugged (he's...never been hugged before, has he...?!) and buries himself in his embrace, throwing his arms around him and holding him like he's afraid he'll never get to experience this again...

Shikamaru didn't even realize, but apparently, he's been holding back tears this whole time, too. He knows because they're suddenly stinging and then falling in a matter of seconds, too many for them to have just built up now, and he doesn't stop himself from pressing his face into Naruto's shoulder and holding him as tightly as he dares, one of his hands moving to cradle the back of his head.

The others are quick to join in on the hug, and soon enough, Naruto's at the epicenter of a happily-crying pile of fledgling ninja. It's weird and a little embarrassing, but it's ultimately the best afternoon they can remember, too. Definitely the most rewarding. It's the most amazing thing they've ever been a part of, and they have Naruto to thank. For this and so much more.

They can't wait to see what a future with him brings.

Several minutes, tissues, and a bandage on his elbow (courtesy of Ino) later, Naruto and the others are much more composed.

Naruto can't tear his eyes away from the good words on his skin, eyes wide and wondering and cheeks pink with joy. He feels better and lighter than he thinks he has in his entire life.

"You know, Naruto," he snaps up at Shikamaru's voice, "that was only part one of our Thank You plan."

Naruto's eyes widen, and his mouth goes dry. He can't imagine anything better than this. "'P-part one'?"

Shikamaru nods, and he and the others trade wide smiles. He's still sitting right in front of Naruto, so close that their knees are touching, and he's made no move to pull away. Something inside him warms at the fact that Naruto hasn't either. "How would you like to be the eleventh member of the Konoha 10?"

And here Naruto thought he'd cried himself dry.

The next thing Shikamaru knows, Naruto's throwing his arms around his neck with a lurching sob. He ends up flat on his back, but he honestly can't say he cares. Hell, pinpricks of tears are stinging his eyes, too, and he doesn't stop himself from holding Naruto back just as tightly. Oh, yeah. He could get used to this.

"We will take that as a yes!" Lee triumphantly surmises, and they all burst into laughter and cheers.

Shikamaru chuckles when Naruto goes so far as to nuzzle in a bit, choking up a little more when he realizes this is probably the first time he's ever gotten the opportunity, let alone felt comfortable enough, and he takes a moment to hold him closer and breathe him in.

He doesn't really know how or when it started, but...this feeling welling up inside him while he holds a happy-crying Naruto has been building for a while now. And even as young as he is, he thinks he's realizing...he wants to stay here, at Naruto's side. He wants to follow him, stick close, make sure he's happy and safe and healthy, that these good words on his skin don't ever fade...no matter what.

That thought in mind, he whispers, a promise he swears he'll keep for the rest of his life:

"Welcome home, Naruto."

Chapter Text

"So, what do you guys wanna do first?"

It's been a month since Naruto's officially been accepted into the Konoha 11's fold. It's definitely weird—a good weird—not being alone all the time, and Naruto's still very much learning how to navigate actual healthy interaction with kids his age, but for the most part, it's been more amazing and fulfilling than anything in Naruto's entire life so far. He can't wait to see where it takes them!

This morning, Shikamaru and Choji surprised him by stopping by his apartment to invite him to the market, just for fun, and while Naruto was hesitant, he eventually agreed.

It's a mix of anxiety and excitement that makes him rock on his heels and shrug at Shikamaru's question, smile wide and eyes bright as he takes everything in. He doesn't really care what they do, he's just happy to be here! It's been a while since he's been allowed within spitting distance of this place, and now he's in the middle of it all!

A noisy, rumbling growl is their answer.

"Shikamaru, I'm hungry," Choji whines. "Let's grab some food first."

Shikamaru sighs, though it's mostly fond. The way he tilts his head at Choji reminds Naruto of a resigned mother. "You just ate before we left. Can't we at least take Naruto around a little first?"

"But that was almost an hour ago." Choji rubs his stomach. "We can still show Naruto around after. It's not like the market's going anywhere. It's first thing in the morning."

"It's fine, really! I don't mind!" Naruto interjects, shooting both his new friends an easygoing smile, fingers locked behind his head. "If you're hungry, you're hungry, Choji. Not much we can do about it, right? Going without's no fun, trust me." Naruto's gone hungry more times than he can count, and the idea of any of his friends suffering even this token hunger makes his heart clench and stomach pang in empathy. He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. "There's actually somethin' I wanna check out over here anyway, so I can catch up with you guys in a few!"

Shikamaru studies Naruto with watchful eyes. He isn't so sure he likes this plan. He's not blind or stupid, after all. He clearly saw Naruto's hesitation earlier when the market was mentioned, and he hasn't missed the apprehensive, disgusted, downright hateful looks Naruto's been getting since they stepped foot here, never mind the horrible words already sprouting up like invasive weeds on his skin. He doesn't like the idea of leaving Naruto on his own in this place. What if something happens while they're not around? The very notion is enough to make his fingers twitch, the shadows at his feet grow restless.

But he's nothing if not fair, so he looks over at the stall Naruto's interested in. It's a mask seller's. Those kinds of masks are more popular around festival time, but the guy must make at least decent money if he's still here in the off-season. Most likely, Naruto's never gotten to enjoy any of the Leaf's festivals (without it ending badly, anyway), so he's probably seldom seen masks like those before. It makes sense that he'd want to get a closer look. The genial way the mask seller's talking to his current child customer doesn't paint him in a bad light either.

By all accounts, it should be safe enough.

And yet, Shikamaru has seen firsthand that the villagers treat Naruto differently than everyone else, so he doesn't put much stock in that last bit. He can't afford to, if he's being honest. He meant what he said the day they invited Naruto to be their friend: he wants to stay by his side, make sure he's safe and happy—and he can't do that, doesn't deserve that privilege, if he doesn't have Naruto's back when it counts.

"I won't touch anything or talk to anybody." Shikamaru's gaze snaps back to Naruto, who's looking at him all too patiently, like he knows exactly what Shikamaru's thinking. And knowing him, he probably does. "I'm just gonna look a little bit, and then I'll come find you guys." There's a small, understanding smile. "I appreciate it, really, but don't worry so much."

Shikamaru's lips purse. Technically speaking, the only reason Choji even needs him to go with is 'cause Choji's mom made him promise to make sure Choji didn't spend all his allowance on snacks like last time (even though, in Choji's words, 'snacks are the only thing worth spending money on'). He needs to keep that promise or neither of their moms will ever let them hear the end of it, if they're ever allowed outside again. But he also promised, even if only himself, that he'd look after Naruto from now on.

Damn it. What a drag…

Skrrrrrt...!

Shikamaru and Choji's sandals scrape across the dirt as Naruto takes matters into his own hands and gently pushes them toward their destination. "Choji's only gonna get hungrier if you keep stalling, Shikamaru! Hurry up and get going!" He grins and waves. "Have fun! I'll see ya in a few!"

Shikamaru opens his mouth to protest, but Choji tugs on his sleeve. "He says he'll be fine, Shikamaru. Shouldn't we trust him?"

Shikamaru screws his mouth into a firm frown and hmphs. "I trust him just fine. It's all these other bastards I'm worried about…"

Still, he does his best to take a deep breath and try to relax. Maybe they're right. Maybe he's overreacting and taking this whole thing too seriously. Yeah, he's seen people be unpleasant to Naruto in the past, in this very marketplace to boot, but all they've done today so far is sneer and put rude words on him. Maybe, hopefully, since he and Choji are with him, no one will do anything stupid for once. (And if they do, well…it's their damn funeral.)

Slinging an arm around Choji's shoulders, partly in an effort to ground himself, he waves back at Naruto. "We'll be back in five!"

With that, the three go their separate ways.

Turning on his heel, Naruto zips back around to that mask seller's stall as fast as he can. There are a couple people in line, so he stays back and out of the way until they leave. The second they do, he rushes in to get a closer look.

He lights up. It's still there!

Hanging on a peg on the wall is the most beautiful festival mask he's ever seen, a white fox with red accents and a scar over one eye. He likes the markings on its cheeks the best because they remind him of his own 'whiskers'! It looks just like one of the awesome, terrifying ancient beasts from the old stories Suzume-sensei told their class! He really wishes he could get it, but he promised Shikamaru he wouldn't—!

"Hey, you little brat!" Naruto jolts and turns wide blue eyes on the mask seller. "Get outta here!"

Before he can blink, he's shoved clean off his feet, ending up flat on his back on the ground. The impact actually winds him a little.

Naruto pushes himself up to his elbows, heart pounding and the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as the mask seller glares down at him and other villagers start gathering around, the whispers and stares already starting. Oh, no…! Not again…! Humiliation, shame, and frustration burn his cheeks and sting his eyes, flare up inside him until he bites the inside of his cheek so hard that he tastes blood. He knows what he told Shikamaru, but…! All of it bursts from him like a geyser he can't hope to hold back. "What was that for?!"

"I don't want you here!" the mask seller jeers. "You're nothing but a pest!"

Naruto flinches at that. "But I wasn't even doing anything!"

He knows from painful experience it's better to keep his mouth shut, to just turn tail and get out as quickly as he can, and he's gotten better over the years at keeping his temper in check, especially while surrounded. The last thing he wants is for this to turn into a one-sided brawl (he still has nightmares of the last time that happened). But for some reason, this time…he's just so pissed and embarrassed and hurt and—! The lump forming in his throat aches, and his shoulders slump. He's so tired…! He glares a hole in the ground as his voice lowers. "I mean…I was just looking at the masks you have…"

More and more villagers are gathering around them, glaring at him and hissing, "That kid's just a troublemaker," "Nothing but trouble!", "A bad seed!", and Naruto barely feels the bite when a few of his nails pierce his skin.

His outburst seems to have only pissed the mask seller off even more. He sneers, taking the mask Naruto was eyeing from its hook, and snarls, "Here, is this what you want?!"

He throws it so hard and so fast at an unsuspecting Naruto that he can't hope to catch it or duck out of the way in time. It hits him square in the forehead, making him cry out and reflexively reach up—only for dark red blood to drip onto his hand. He stares at it, horror and a sick kind of resignation setting in. He can feel the blood split into twin rivers down his face.

"Then just take it and get lost, and don't come back!"

Wide, hurt blue eyes flick up to stare at the mask seller, then the other villagers who've gathered on the scene. They're all glaring at him with so much fear and fury and hatred, wishing him pain, thinking he's getting exactly what he deserves…just like always…

All at once, Naruto feels cold all the way down to his bones. He curls in on himself, a white-knuckled fist over his heart. He can feel the itch of more horrible words being etched into his skin (a feeling he's been pointedly ignoring since they left his apartment), more and more as the seconds pass, and it just makes him sink lower.

He really thought things had finally started changing for him…but… His vision blurs as tears rain down, some of them mixing with his blood.

Why...? Why is it always him? What has he ever done to deserve their cruelty? Yes, he's pranked them, but those were meant to be harmless, just to get them to look his way, acknowledge him, never hurt—not like this. And he's even been considering stopping now that he has the Konoha 11, so… Damn it, why? He doesn't understand it! He wishes he did…but...!

His world runs together like a kaleidoscope, he can't breathe – hell, he goes practically catatonic in the face of it all.

He doesn't understand anything. He doesn't know why he ever thought things could really change for him. Yeah, he has friends now, and he wouldn't trade them for anything, not for the world, but…for how long? What if they decide he's too much trouble? What if they get sick of him, too? What if…what if they…turn out just like them…?

"Naruto!"

At that moment, Shikamaru and Choji rush in, shoving through the crowd with abandon to get to their friend. What they see makes their stomachs drop.

Shikamaru clenches his fists and teeth so hard, they both groan. Guilt and rage flay his insides. "What the hell is going on here?!" he demands, voice as dark and dangerous as the shadows he wields.

Choji kneels down at Naruto's side and gasps, eyes blowing open wide. "Shikamaru, he's bleeding!"

Shikamaru already felt sick, but now his heart's joined the mix with an ill beat of its own. Damn it! He should have trusted his instincts! He never should have left! His fingers itch to form his clan's more deadly signature jutsu. He barely holds himself back.

Eyes like hot coals turn on the villagers. "Get away from him! Don't look at him! Don't you bastards dare think another damn word about him! You hear me?!" His voice is murderous, the shadows underneath and all around him slither and lash out and writhe, like his kunai-sharp eyes and hell-bent tone promise they will—and for all that he's a child, they don't dare disobey. "Get the fuck out of here before I do something I guarantee you'll regret! Leave now!"

The villagers wisely clear out in a matter of seconds, the mask seller the first to disappear. Shikamaru, still shaking with rage, makes sure every last one of them is gone before he crashes to his knees on Naruto's other side.

Seeing him up close…he wishes he could've made at least that bastard mask seller suffer.

Choji is doing his best to use some of the tissues he always has on him to stop the bleeding and mop up the blood trails half-diluted by Naruto's tears, and it seems like it's working well enough. But there are tears in Choji's eyes, and his hands are trembling. Reaching out, Shikamaru rests a warm hand on Choji's, stilling his movements, and offers him a small, proud smile. "Good job, Choji."

Choji sniffs and wipes his eyes on his sleeves. "T-thanks. You, too. But Shikamaru, what…? I-I don't understand…" He picks up the fox mask that rolled to a stop by Naruto's hand, Naruto's blood staining one of its ears. "Over this…?"

Gently taking the mostly-fresh tissue from Choji's hand to let him rest, Shikamaru takes a few deep, calming breaths to steady himself. He's still so pissed, he can barely stand it, but that's the last thing his friends, Naruto especially, need right now. They need him with his head on straight, not ready and willing to commit (completely justifiable) murder.

When he finally gathers his thoughts enough to speak, he takes over cleaning Naruto up, hands ever-gentle as he makes sure to keep his voice even and low. "To be honest, Choji, I don't get it either. Trust me, I wish I did. I bet Naruto wishes that more than any of us."

His secret little investigation into why everyone treats Naruto this way has barely turned up anything, and what little it has hardly makes any sense. If he didn't know any better, he'd think someone was trying to hide something—something big. But he doesn't have any idea what or who or why. The answer feels so close, so obvious, but he just can't find the one string he needs to pull to make the whole thing unravel. He feels like a deer chasing its own tail…

Closing his eyes a moment, he takes a slow, deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth (a calming exercise his father taught him), then one more for good measure. If there's one miracle that came out of all this, it's that, somehow or other, Naruto's wound has already closed. Thank goodness.

He looks back at Choji. "But it doesn't matter whether or not we understand. What matters now is that we're here for Naruto, and we'll help him any way we can. Right?"

Choji, eyes now dry, sniffs and nods, smiling for the first time since they came running to Naruto's defense. Shikamaru's always been good at that, calming him down and helping him see what's most important. "Right!"

With a proud wink, Shikamaru turns back to Naruto.

That said, he's not actually sure what to do here, how best to help him. He's helped Hinata through a few panic attacks over the years, sure, but she never went totally catatonic like this. It's like Naruto's lost in his own head, and Shikamaru doesn't want to do the wrong thing and take the chance of making things worse. But…he can't just leave him like this either. He has to do something…

So, slowly, carefully, telegraphing his movements as best he can, he reaches out to rest a feather-light hand on Naruto's shoulder and say softly, but firmly, "Hey, Naruto. Are you with me?"

Following Shikamaru's example, Choji lays a tentative, warm hand on Naruto's knee. "We're right here, Naruto. You're not alone."

…!

Their kind words and tender touches send feeling rushing back into Naruto, bring the light back to his eyes, and make his tears fall faster—but for a very different reason this time.

It's true that most things for him have stayed the same – same crappy apartment, same villagers with their sneers and yelling and violence, same schoolyard bullies, same empty belly and dark that scares him and lonely nights that never end.

But this... Having someone look out for him, having someone care, is so new and different, such a terrifyingly stark contrast to everything he's ever known, and maybe…that's why he's so desperately afraid to lose it.

Still…he feels like he should know better.

Even if he's only really been friends with the Konoha 11 for a little while…he's known them for nearly their whole lives, and if there's one thing he knows about them for sure, it's that once they have you, you're theirs. They're loyal to a fault, and they're not the kind to give up on someone just because they're troublesome. Hell, they wear it like a badge of honor, like getting into a fight for each other is some kind of rite of passage.

So, he should have known they wouldn't leave because of this… Not that he thinks they'd blame him for worrying about that, in general, given his track record. Really, he doesn't think he was doubting them so much as himself, his own worth, his new place in their lives.

But if ever he needed a reminder…

The permeating warmth of Choji's hand on his knee, the grounding weight of Shikamaru's on his shoulder… The lump in Naruto's throat only grows, heat behind his eyes increases. It's all so new, yet so welcome and doesn't hurt and feels so good, he can't explain it… He wishes he could tell them, put it into words, but he doesn't know if that's even possible.

He would have killed for this all these years. Having someone, even just one person, by his side would have made everything so much better, so much more bearable. But he's learned not to reflect on the past without learning a thing or two, and he's learned plenty. He may not have had it before, but he has it now, and there's no way in hell he's letting it go. Not for anything.

Tearful, aware blue eyes lock with warm brown, and Shikamaru's shoulders slump with relief. He reaches forward to brush sweaty bangs from Naruto's forehead, the gentlest touch Naruto swears he's ever felt. "There you are, sunshine," Shikamaru greets softly, the nickname slipping off his tongue as easily as breathing. He's not sure where it came from, but with the way Naruto seems to light up from the inside out just hearing it, Shikamaru can't help but feel it's spot on. A surge of fierce affection flares up in his chest. He loves this kid so much. "We're glad you're back. You had us worried."

Shikamaru and Choji help Naruto back to his apartment and insist on patching him up as best they can. Naruto tells them where he keeps the first aid kit when asked (barely used, Shikamaru can't help but notice, despite the myriad of bruises and cuts he knows Naruto sustains on an almost daily basis), but also tells them they don't have to, that his forehead and hands are (again, somehow, miraculously) already healed.

But Shikamaru is nothing if not stubborn. When he digs his heels in about something, he won't budge for anyone, and that goes double for something like this. "Humor me."

Naruto still doesn't really get it, but figures it's just Shikamaru's Mother Hen tendencies coming out. (Ino may be the queen in that regard most of the time, but Shikamaru beats even her by a mile when it's important, and Naruto... Well, let's just say that the Important on his forearm hasn't faded a single bit since that day at lunch.) So, Naruto agreeably holds out his hands and tilts his head toward the light so they can see better, and for the triumphant, adoring grin that breaks out on Shikamaru's face, Naruto thinks it's a small price to pay.

Supplies in hand, they get to work.

With Naruto's curious attention on the meticulous way they bandage his hands, Shikamaru and Choji lock eyes over his head.

Covering Naruto's small body are some of the worst words they've ever seen on anyone—demon, trash, murderer, good-for-nothing, monster, nuisance, germ, piece of shit, waste of space, blood on your hands, disappear, do us all a favor and die. The Pest that spans his forehead stirs something sharp and ugly in Shikamaru's chest. That mask seller bastard…!

Meanwhile, Naruto is doing his best to commit their bandaging methods to memory. There are some differences between how they do it and the first aid training they got at the Academy. He wonders if their parents taught them this other stuff or if they figured it out on their own. He'll have to ask them sometime. Not that he thinks he'll need it, given how quickly he heals, but his teammates in the future might, and that's—!

WHOOSH!

A tingling sensation as strong as a tidal wave suddenly crashes over Naruto, who reflexively goes stock-still with dread. The villagers already put all the words on him they could, so who—?

Wait…! This feels different! He—he knows this feeling! He's only felt it once, but—this is—!

Wide eyes snap to Shikamaru and Choji.

Choji is finishing tying off the bandage on his left hand, tongue poking out as he does his best to get it just right, not too loose and not too tight. Shikamaru, on the other hand, is long done, but hasn't let go of his hand, holding it tightly in both of his, and he's staring at Naruto hard, at what's most likely a horrible word on his skin, probably a lot of them, like they've offended him personally. And knowing him, they absolutely have.

Naruto can't help but stare, breathless with heart pounding away in his chest. He's so used to the bad words, to how they make him feel, to the sleeping-limb tingling when they manifest. After almost eleven years, it's normal for him, just part of his everyday. They still hurt because of course they do, more than any bruise or gash or poisoning ever could, especially after days like today. Hell, if Choji and Shikamaru weren't here right now, he'd probably be curled up under his covers and crying himself to sleep.

This feeling, though… He doesn't think he'll ever forget it. Doesn't see how he could. That day in the Academy yard a month ago, all those good words springing to life on his skin... That same intense, touched-chill-down-your-spine tingling is washing over him now like calm waves upon the shore, and it only doubles in strength when Choji ties off his bandage and clasps Naruto's other hand in both of his, a small, soft little smile playing.

God…he's so lucky to have them. He loves them so much. He can barely comprehend how much, he feels so full.

So, he doesn't think he can be blamed at all when his tears finally spill over and he throws his arms around them to hold them as close as he can, as tightly as he dares. They hug him right back, Choji burying his face in his shoulder and Shikamaru cradling the back of his head.

These friends of his…they're precious to him. And slowly, slowly, but surely, he's learning that somehow, despite everything and against all the odds…he's precious to them, too.

(Once they're gone, Naruto looks in the mirror to find an aggressively-thought Loved has replaced the blood-soaked Pest there before.)

When Shikamaru finally makes it home after making absolutely sure Naruto will be okay, he's still pissed. His jaw hurts from how tightly he's been clenching it.

Shikaku is more than a little concerned when he sees him, even more so at finding blood under his nails that he was too enraged and distraught to even notice. But Shikamaru just grits out, practically spits, like it's the most offending thing he's ever had to say, "It's not mine, it's Naruto's."

Shikaku goes still, his blood turning to ice. "What happened, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru opens his mouth—only for tears to flood his eyes, his chin to wobble, and his breath to catch in his throat. The next thing he knows, he's breaking down in his father's arms, spilling everything.

"Why? Why are they like this? How can they not see how good he is?" he asks once he's done, clutching at his father's shirt like a lifeline. He hiccups, turning big, brown eyes on his father. He can tell he's pissed, but there's a tired, calculating quality to his rage that Shikamaru would bet a full day's cloud-watching means he knows more than he's letting on. "You know, don't you? Tell me, please. Please, Dad, I...I need to understand..." He swallows, a vengeful shiver running down his spine. "Because next time, I don't think I'll be able to hold back..."

And damn it all, Shikaku knows his son. He's not an emotional boy. So for him to break down like this, so openly...he knows this is serious. That he is. He needs to fix this or someone really will get hurt. Because if Naruto can't stand up for himself, Shikaku knows Shikamaru will do it for him.

He carries Shikamaru out to sit on the back porch, where Shikamaru can soak up the sun and look up at the clouds he loves so much, where the deer that have always liked him best can be a comfort. He holds Shikamaru close on his lap, and Shikamaru welcomes it, feeling cold and exhausted to his bones. He closes his eyes as he listens to the familiar, soothing beat of his father's heart.

Shikaku takes a few slow, deep breaths, in through his nose and out through his mouth. Technically, breathing a word of this is treason, but that damn decree is wrong, always has been, and as long as no one finds out, it should be fine. Hell, he'd bet a lot of booze that all those villagers and their kids who treat Naruto like shit haven't kept it quiet, so why should he? (He just prays Minato and Kushina will forgive him for taking so long. He misses them both so much, every day…)

Besides, decree or no, consequences be damned, there's not a single doubt in Shikaku's mind that Shikamaru would figure it out eventually, either on his own or via more nefarious means—and in his opinion, sending a prepared little Jinchuuriki into battle is far preferable to an impressionable wild card. (God knows how Lord Third doesn't see that.)

"What I'm about to tell you is a Village secret." Shikamaru reels back, eyes wide. Top secret intel?! No wonder his investigation went cold! But how the hell could Naruto possibly be involved in something like that, especially when Shikamaru knows he's just as genuinely clueless about the villagers' hatred as the rest of them? "So this stays between you kids, your Konoha 11 alone. Understood?"

Shikamaru nods immediately. He knows the others will just play dumb if asked, and Naruto...well, that goes without saying. He's loud, sure, but he's far from stupid. He's a lot smarter than anyone outside their friends (and apparently his father) gives him credit for. "I promise."

With a solemn nod – a promise between men – Shikaku tells him absolutely everything he can.

Shikamaru is shocked, of course, which Shikaku fully expected. Anyone would be, hearing something like this. But he recovers even quicker than Shikaku thought he would.

The light in his eyes has changed, there's a stubborn set to his jaw, and Shikaku can practically hear the gears in his clever little mind sparking as they whir a mile a minute. Shikaku understands all too well. He can't help but smirk something fierce, more than content to resign himself to whatever hell is about to quietly break loose, finding it poetic justice on all the bastards in this village.

Finally, something might be done. God knows all his pleas have fallen on the Hokage's deaf ears.

Shikamaru jumps right into planning, and the very next day, he sets it in motion.

The setup is almost identical to their meeting exactly a month and a day ago.

The ten of them meet up in their clubhouse, and no one except Shikamaru knows why they're here, but just like last time, no one questions it. Particularly because the Shikamaru standing before them is a raging storm on the horizon, quiet for now, but as imminent and dangerous as they've ever seen him.

And once he relays yesterday morning's events with some extra input from Choji, they understand why. The absolute wrath that fills the small room is so thick and oppressive that Shikamaru's genuinely surprised some of the more emotionally-attuned Nara don't come to check on them.

"I'm sure it's obvious why I didn't want Naruto here for this part," he says, white-knuckled fists shoved firmly in his pockets. "I didn't want him to have to relive all that. Going through it once, even just witnessing it, was bad enough."

"But he—he's okay, right?" Hinata asks, small brow pinched with worry. "Besides his injuries, I mean. Was he…?" She winces, bites her lip. "I-I know he's said he's used to it, but…"

"But that's a load of bull!" Kiba pipes up from beside her, resting a warm, reassuring hand on her anxiously-fidgeting fingers. She latches on gladly. "Being used to crap like that…" He clenches his teeth so hard, they groan. "Even if it's normal for him, that doesn't make it right!"

Akamaru barks and the others offer equally pissed sentiments, and Shikamaru sighs tiredly. He was up planning a lot of the night (and getting his revenge on that bastard mask seller), so he didn't get much sleep. "I know, I know. Trust me, I already warned my Dad that if something like this happens again," the shadows underneath him slither, "I won't be held responsible for what happens."

His friends shudder. Shikamaru is the king of restraint among them, but when he lets loose? He's like something straight out of a nightmare.

"But to answer your question, princess," Shikamaru takes a moment to rein in his residual rage, then offers Hinata a kind smile, "Choji and I made sure Naruto was feeling as close to all right as possible before we left. We even covered him in a whole bunch of good words to chase away the bad ones."

Hinata brightens, free hand moving to her chest as she sighs. The others are just as relieved. "Thank goodness. Thank you so much!"

Shikamaru nods. That settled, he moves on to the next phase of his plan, drawing all the curtains and lighting the giant lantern in the middle of the room. Sharp eyes fall on Kiba and Akamaru. "Is anyone else around?"

The two trade a glance, but Shikamaru's obviously on a mission, so they do as he asks. After concentrating for several seconds, they shake their heads. "Nope, nothing. We're all alone."

Satisfied, Shikamaru thanks them and retakes his place at the front of the room. It's almost funny. He usually hates being the center of attention, will do just about anything to avoid it, and yet, for Naruto, he finds himself diving in all too willingly. He really is lost on that kid…

Taking a deep, steadying breath, he thanks everything he has the friends he does. This isn't a bombshell you can drop on just anyone, after all.

"What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. If it does, my Dad could be charged with treason and put to death." Not that he thinks it would ever get that far – after all, his Dad is the freaking Jounin Commander, and all the other kids and adults seem to know this secret and are (unfortunately) still alive and kicking – but still. They need to know how serious this really is.

Thankfully, his friends are the best, so while they've gone pale, their eyes are bright and trained firmly on him. They don't dare say a word, waiting on bated breath for him to say whatever he needs to say. He appreciates that. This isn't something he wants to drag out.

"I'll tell you everything my Dad told me."

By the time he's done, every single one of them is shocked and overcome with emotion—Lee, Sakura, and Choji are outright crying—and Shikamaru can't blame them one bit.

The clubhouse is almost dead silent apart from sniffles and stifled sobs for nearly half an hour after that, all of them coming to terms with what they've just learned.

They're absolutely reeling. This is so much bigger than anything they could have anticipated. It seems crazy that they didn't already know, not sure how the other kids and adults kept it quiet all these years when they're so open about their hatred for Naruto, but they chalk it up to the bastards being scared they'd rat them out and their own parents obeying the decree.

Still…this explains so much. So many things that never made sense about Naruto are finally clicking into place in their minds. God, they feel horrible… Poor Naruto… They wish there was something they could do…

Shikamaru, who's opted to comfort those he can, understands completely. He felt the exact same way last night. His friends are special, though, and they've gotten to know Naruto pretty well over the last month, so he's more than confident they'll take this all in stride.

In the end, Tenten is the first to take a slow, deep, cleansing breath and speak up.

"All right, so Naruto's the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki." She lets that new knowledge hang in the air between them, as if daring the very cosmos to speak ill of him. "So what? That doesn't justify how the villagers treat him at all!"

"Yeah!"

"Thank you!"

"You got that right!"

Bark, bark!

Sakura ghosts thoughtful fingers across her forehead, tracing the Beautiful that's never left. "It's not like he got to decide. He was practically born with the Nine Tails inside him."

"Yeah!"

"Exactly!"

"That's right!"

"He's not the 'Nine Tails'!" Ino mocks the villagers, making a face. She holds up a finger, smug as can be. "He's Naruto Uzumaki! Don't forget it!"

Raucous laughter permeates the others' equally-enthused "Yeah!". "You sound just like him, Ino!" Choji praises with a snort.

While they talk Naruto up, Shikamaru allows himself a heavy sigh of relief. He was confident as hell, sure, but he always accounts for every possibility, and that includes the least favorable ones. As he predicted, though, his friends are the best, so from here, things should go relatively smoothly. Thank goodness.

Still, he already feels the dull throb of a headache building behind his eyes, so he holds up his hands before his friends can boil over and send him right over the edge. They simmer down as much as possible, but it's like a pot left bubbling on the stove. He needs to give them something to sink their teeth into.

Luckily, someone else beats him to it.

"The villagers' treatment of Naruto is so wrong! What ignorant cowards…!" Lee clenches tight fists until they groan, and eyes burning with righteous fury cut to Shikamaru. "Especially when he does not even know!"

That last line hits the rest of them like a brick, and all eyes instantly converge on Shikamaru. Now they understand.

"We're going to tell him together, aren't we?" Neji guesses.

Shikamaru meets his eyes, all of their eyes, head-on. "Hell, yeah, we are. Decree be damned, he deserves to know."

"Yeah! Fuck that decree!" Kiba cheers, Akamaru howling his agreement, before the others quickly shush them. This meeting's supposed to be secret, after all. "Oh, right. Sorry." Akamaru groans, indignant.

Hinata giggles behind the hand Kiba isn't holding, petting Akamaru to console him and sending Kiba a fierce smirk. He thanks God she can't hear the way his heart goes crazy in his chest. "You're not wrong!"

"Hinata's right," Shikamaru offers with an easy shrug, smirking with the best of them. "The way I see it, it's only fair."

The others agree with his plan wholeheartedly, and he's glad.

Now that all that's out of the way, he glances toward the door. Naruto should be here any minute now. (He's notorious for being on time—hell, he's right up there with Lee in being enthusiastically early.)

He knows how Naruto feels about his apartment, even if he hasn't said it in so many words. He doesn't call it 'home', his smile falls and the light in his eyes dims when it's time to go back, and he hunches in on himself in the dark, lonely doorway. In direct contrast, Shikamaru's never seen him so happy or off his guard in all his life than the day they brought him to this clubhouse and all the days after.

That's why he thought it'd be best to tell him here. He wants to tell him in a place he feels comfortable and safe, with people he feels comfortable and safe with.

In the end, all he wants out of this is for Naruto to know that it's not his fault, that there's nothing wrong with him, that he's not alone anymore. Never will be again if Shikamaru has anything to say about it.

Knock, knock!

Speak of the devil…

Shikamaru immediately moves for the door, winking at his friends and modeling deep breaths. The last thing he needs is Naruto getting worked up from their nervous energy.

Opening the door, Shikamaru can't help but smile softly despite the responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders. Naruto just tends to have that effect on him. "Hey, Naruto. Glad you could make it." He steps aside. "Come on in."

For a moment, just on instinct, Naruto hesitates. He heard Kiba and the others shouting a few times on the way over, Akamaru barking and howling, too, and the others, the few of them he can see from here, seem nervous. He can tell they're trying to act normal, but something's definitely going on. He hopes he wasn't just called here to be thrown out of the group—

He shakes his head stubbornly. No. Shikamaru wouldn't do that. The others wouldn't either. No one looks at him as gently as Shikamaru is now if they're going to hurt him. He takes a breath. As far as he's concerned, that's all the reassurance he needs.

Finally stepping inside, he looks around, one eyebrow raised. "Why's it so closed up in here? You guys tryin' to keep out the cold or somethin'?"

Shikamaru breathes a laugh. "Something like that." After all, one could categorize the villagers' cruelty and the Hokage's major indifference as cold.

Knowing how Naruto feels about the dark, Shikamaru steers him toward the comfiest chair closest to the lantern, planting himself on the armrest for now. He doesn't miss the fact that the bandages on Naruto's hands are gone, the gauze pad on his forehead, too, the skin underneath as unblemished and clean as if yesterday never happened. Given what he knows now, Shikamaru pins his amazing healing factor on the Nine Tails. One of the only good things to come out of this messed up situation, in his opinion.

"So, I hope it's okay, but Choji and I told the others what happened at the market yesterday."

Naruto winces. He figured they'd tell them, though. The Konoha 11 don't keep secrets from each other, especially something like this, and it makes sense why they would need to know. After all, as much as Naruto wishes it wouldn't, it'll almost certainly happen again, and he'd want them to be prepared so they can protect themselves. "Y-yeah, it's fine. I'm…I'm glad everybody knows."

Still, that doesn't stop him from fidgeting with his fingers and biting his lip, gaze slipping to the floor. The others seem fine with it, aren't treating him any differently…but…

Shikamaru rests a hand on his shoulder and squeezes, and Naruto looks up to find a kind, warm smile. It helps him relax, just a little. "Don't worry, Naruto. They were pissed off at the villagers and worried about you, but that's all. We're not going anywhere. The Konoha 11 are friends for life, no matter what." Smirking a bit, he bumps their shoulders together. "Don't forget it."

Naruto lets out a tiny, delighted snort of surprise at the playful homage to how he ends his pranks on the villagers, and Shikamaru can't help but soften. He knows that for someone like Naruto, believing that is easier said than done. No one's ever wanted him before, but they've wanted to keep him even less. It's gonna take a lot more than words to show him they mean it, and it'll undoubtedly take more than just this one time for it to really stick.

But the Konoha 11, Shikamaru in particular, didn't invite him into their fold expecting an easy ride, and they're in this for the long haul. They'll just have to be patient and keep at it until it finally sinks in. That's fine. Hell, if Shikamaru has his way, he'll never leave Naruto's side for the rest of his life.

Just like Shikamaru knew he would, Naruto looks around at the rest of their friends for confirmation, tentative and wondering, and their smiles and quiet reassurances slowly uncoil the spring-taut tension in his shoulders. Shikamaru breathes a silent sigh of relief. Thank goodness.

"Good. Now that that's settled…" Naruto turns back at the more serious tone to his voice, "…there's something really important we need to talk about."

Naruto swallows, mouth suddenly dry. "Y-yeah, I figured." He waves toward the rest of the clubhouse. "This doesn't exactly scream 'party.'"

Shikamaru breathes a laugh despite himself. "I guess you're right. Sorry about that. But this is sensitive stuff, so I needed to make sure no one else would be the wiser."

Naruto's ears perk. 'Sensitive'? That could either mean really good or really bad. Like a switch has been flipped, he goes quiet and watches Shikamaru like a hawk, and Shikamaru knows it's time.

He takes a slow, deep breath, a few, in through his nose and out through his mouth, doing his best to steel himself. He's gone over all the different ways he can do this a thousand times, and he thinks he's found the one that makes the most sense. This is for Naruto (his dream, whether either of them knows it or not). He wants to make this as easy for him as he possibly can.

Starting from the beginning seems like his best bet.

"For the last month and a half, I've been trying to figure out why the villagers treat you the way they do." Naruto cringes, but doesn't seem all that surprised (this is Shikamaru, after all), just hesitantly curious, and Shikamaru almost smirks. Naruto knows him too well. "But I kept running into dead ends. Nothing added up."

Naruto nods, a few times, confusion creasing his brow. Yeah, that makes sense. It was the same with him, too. Everyone, even the Old Man, always clammed up (or worse) whenever he asked about it when he was little. The very last time he tried was on his sixth birthday, and the Old Man just changed the subject like always. (At least he didn't glare or hit him like the other adults, but still. It wasn't much better, in Naruto's opinion.) He hasn't bothered asking since.

"Then, after what happened yesterday, I begged my Dad to tell me the truth." Shikamaru meets Naruto's eyes head on, sure and steady as the hand he rests on Naruto's. "He agreed, but warned me that this is a Village secret."

Naruto stiffens and goes pale. 'Village secret'?! That means that talking about it at all is considered treason! What kind of secret about him could possibly be that important?! It doesn't make any sense…!

He shakes his head roughly. No, there are more important things to worry about right now! "B-but your Dad, is he—? He'll be okay, right?"

Shikamaru offers a helpless smile. This kid… "He'll be fine, don't worry. He only told me on the condition that this stays between all of us, and none of us are gonna tell on 'im." He shrugs. "Besides, everybody else knows. If they were to charge everybody who ever talked about this with treason, there'd be no village left." He smirks with fierce pride. "Plus, he's the Jounin Commander. I'd like to see anyone else try to do my Dad's job without losing their minds. They wouldn't last a day."

Naruto relaxes a bit, breathing a laugh at Shikamaru's efforts to keep the mood as light as possible. He appreciates it. Still, no amount of jokes can chase away the feeling of dread that has his hair standing on end, and he knows Shikamaru knows it, too, because he squeezes his hand.

"Anyway…I wanted to tell you the truth in a place you felt safe, with people you felt safe with."

Naruto's eyes widen, and a painful lump starts to form in his throat. No one's ever…considered something like that for him before… He definitely doesn't think he'd want to do this in his apartment. Sure, it's…it's where he rests his head at night and where he hides from bullies, but…it's also dark and empty and lonely, suffocating even on his best days. This clubhouse, on the other hand, for all that he's known it a month, has always been a safe place for him, something he knows better than to take for granted, full of friends and teeming with laughter and warmth and smiles…

He squeezes his eyes shut. Of course Shikamaru would think of something like that. Of course… He really is the best.

Swiping his wrist over his eyes, he takes a few deep, steadying breaths. Whatever Shikamaru has to tell him, he needs to be calm and level-headed for it. He's sure the others know already – Shikamaru's too smart to drop this bomb on him and the rest of their friends in one go – and they're still here, so…hopefully that means it can't be that bad…

(Right?)

Swallowing, he curls nervous, sweaty hands into fists and meets Shikamaru's gaze with a nod. He's as ready as he'll ever be.

Shikamaru's gut twists, but he nods right back. If Naruto's ready, so is he. It's now or never.

"Naruto…you have the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside you."

With that one phrase, Naruto's entire world grinds to a screeching halt.

Naruto has known shock, pain, and devastation all his life. He knows the many faces they can take. Hell, they were practically all he knew before the Konoha 11 took him in. But he's never known them like this, all at once and all-encompassing, instantly freezing his blood and burning his eyes, crushing his lungs, and turning his heart to stone in his chest.

The Nine Tails…? Really? Of all the… He never would have… The demon fox that attacked the village almost eleven years ago? How…? Why…? Why him…?

Shikamaru explains everything as best he can, even about his parents(!) (which he didn't fully tell the others because it wasn't theirs to know, but now they do, so semantics), and even though Naruto's reeling like hell, he appreciates it like nothing else. He'll make sure to tell him so later.

The more he hears and the more he really thinks about it…it does kinda make sense, doesn't it? It's just a matter of putting all the pieces together, the same way Shikamaru taught him to place the tiles in shogi.

Every year on his birthday, October 10th, which he now knows is the anniversary of the Nine Tails' attack…the villagers are even worse than usual. Their slaps and hits and kicks are fiercer, their glares are harsher, the insults and threats are darker, the kids are crueler, and the words on his skin… He feels sick just thinking about them. Suffice to say, he's learned to stay in his apartment the day of and for a few days before and after, just to be safe.

And that's not even mentioning literally everything he faces from the village on a daily basis, has for as long as he can remember.

There are his enhanced senses. All these years, he thought maybe they were just something he inherited from one or both of his parents, like the Inuzuka's dog-like characteristics and instincts. (In a way, he supposes he did kind of inherit the Nine Tails from his mom, but that's beside the point.)

His healing factor is like nothing he's ever seen. According to everything he knows and has learned about medicine over the years, on his own and from the Academy and his friends, his accelerated healing shouldn't be possible.

He's never been able to control his chakra—at all, period, point blank. No matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, he just can't get it right. It's always too much, too oppressive and wild, and it's never truly felt…his… (And he's always wondered why his always flickers between red and blue when everyone else's stays blue…)

Worst of all, at least to him, are the horrible words that perpetually dot his skin like splatters of the paint he uses for his pranks. They've always been so cruel, and he's never understood why.

He looks down at himself. Most of the good words Choji and Shikamaru put on him yesterday are still there, but the villagers were able to replace some of them on his way over.

Demon, monster, murderer, blood on your hands, why don't you just die?, and so many others stain his skin – and knowing what he does now, he likens them more to droplets of blood.

And last, but definitely not least, the one that cinches it for him… He curls a trembling, white-knuckled fist in his shirt. There's that big, weird symbol that appears on his stomach sometimes. It's like nothing Naruto's ever seen before, so intricate and complicated-looking, like two, maybe three, symbols spliced together. Not a single book or scroll he's ever read trying to find out about it in any of the Leaf's libraries has been able to tell him a damn thing.

His entire life has been like that, so full of questions without answers and more unknowns than he knows what to do with.

But now…he thinks he finally understands, and the clarity…

It's excruciating.

His hand underneath Shikamaru's is shaking—all of him is, actually, come to think of it; he feels strange, like he's separate from himself, observing his own body from someplace outside it—and a few tears and a tiny, strangled sob escape.

He's not the Nine Tails. He's not. He's a person with feelings and hopes and dreams, who bleeds and cries, just like the rest of them. He's Naruto Uzumaki, damn it…!

But… He presses the heels of his hands into his eyes until it hurts, drags a stilted breath through tightly clenched teeth. The villagers don't see it that way, don't see him that way. Fuck, they don't see him at all. All they see when they look at him is the demon fox that attacked their village, that killed their parents and siblings and friends, that robbed them of whatever innocence they may have had in a single night of fire and blood and death.

Through a haze of hatred that strong…how could they possibly see the scared, sad, lonely little boy underneath?

He sniffs messily, sobs he's determined to keep inside wracking his small frame.

So…that's it. He was considered cursed right from the start. It explains everything.

That's why the other kids say he 'tainted' his swing in the Academy yard.

That's why all these awful words have followed him his whole life, even before he could read.

That's why the villagers have always hated him just for existing.

That's why no one's ever wanted him.

That's why he's always been alone…—!

Suddenly, a gut-wrenching thought strikes, and he has to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from sobbing outright. He knows Shikamaru welcomed him 'home' a month ago, knows what he meant when he and Choji put all those good words on him yesterday, knows he reassured him about the Konoha 11 being friends for life just before this.

But—but what if he and the others are just telling him all this, the truth, as a kindness, and then…and then they—? He feels cold down to his bones, shivers with it as his eyes well and overflow. What if—what if they leave him?

He can feel himself starting to hyperventilate, more tears searing down his cheeks, but he can't help it.

What if, after finally forming the bonds he's yearned for and been denied all his life, he just ends up right back where he started?

What if, even after all this…he's alone again?

His vision shifts into a prism of semi-color and lantern light. Naruto thinks he might be on the verge of passing out. It's been years since he's passed out. The last time he did was when the villagers took a beating too far when he was eight. Is this what Hinata's panic attacks feel like? God, he feels so bad for her—!

There's a shock of warmth on his back, and even though his first instinct is to flinch like he's been struck, something inside gives him pause.

He snaps up to find Shikamaru, blue eyes wild with fear and a bone-deep loss he can't explain, but knows intimately, like a missing limb, like something inevitable (because it's all he's ever known).

For a precious moment, Naruto's entire world sharpens to a single point.

Please don't leave me.

Shikamaru, feeling more emotionally wrecked than he ever has in his entire life, cards the gentlest of fingers through soft sunshine hair like it's the most precious thing he's ever touched—like he, Naruto, is. "As long as you'll have me," he whispers, fierce and tender, an iron-clad promise in every note, "I'm here."

And just like that, Naruto's mosaic heart breaks wide open.

With a lurching sob, he throws his arms around Shikamaru's middle and buries his face in his stomach. Shikamaru can't snap him up fast enough, wrapping his arms around him as far as they'll go, curling him protectively to his chest. He has to squeeze his eyes shut against his own welling tears. Damn this village. He meant what he said. He's not leaving Naruto for anything. This doesn't change a damn thing.

The rest of the tearful Konoha 11 pile in hot on his heels and press as close as they can, praying their message gets through.

We're here, Naruto. We're not going anywhere.

It's so warm…

It just makes Naruto cry harder.

Chapter Text

It takes a while – a few months, really – for Naruto to come to terms with being the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki—and the fact that the Konoha 11 really aren't going anywhere.

Since being told the truth, since putting everything together in his head like one big puzzle, he's stumbled upon even more pieces that set him apart, things that have always been there, but he's never really understood until now.

Flashes of emotions that aren't his at the back of his mind.

A restlessness he can't explain that gets him in trouble in class and sent out into the hall.

What feels almost like tails lashing in agitation at the edges of his consciousness whenever the villagers yell or chase him or get violent, when they put particularly nasty words on him most of all.

All these things are strange and new, yet not at the same time. Now that he knows about the Nine Tails' presence, it's like an entirely new side of his consciousness, of his life, has opened up to him. Knowing there's a whole other being sealed inside him, that's been there practically since birth (and technically even before that), he actually finds it comforting. It means he was never really alone all his life like he always thought.

He almost wishes he could've known sooner. If he had, maybe things could have been different, easier, better sooner—for both of them. Of course, then again, considering all the worse ways he could have found out and especially if it meant he wouldn't have the Konoha 11 like he does now…maybe it's for the best. He supposes only time will tell.

Finally knowing why the villagers hate him actually makes them easier to deal with. It still hurts because of course it does (no matter what they say, he's only human, just a kid), but...at least now he has a name for it. He has a reason, the reason, and that's…all he ever wanted in the first place, all this time.

Because of that, his pranks stop. He doesn't need them anymore. He has the Konoha 11 now, and they fill the void the villagers' attention and acknowledgement used to bring a thousand times over and then some, better than anything else ever could. Not that it seems to change the villagers' opinion of him any, but still. It's the principle of the thing.

And through it all, against all the odds and obstacles and barriers between them, just like Shikamaru promised, like they all promised, the Konoha 11 never leave his side. It's like nothing's changed at all. (Because in their eyes, nothing has.) They're just as amazing and stuck to him like glue as they've been since the day they officially became friends. Hell, even more so. They're closer than ever.

Shikamaru, in particular, is Naruto's most stalwart supporter. The two of them are getting closer in a hundred different ways every single day, and Naruto can't help but wonder sometimes how he's even real. He's never had something, someone, like this before. It's incredible. Shikamaru is. Almost like—he doesn't dare breathe, a vice grip that's been around his heart for as long as he can remember ever-so-slowly easing—like a best friend.

The Konoha 11 are the best thing that's ever happened to him. He's already thought it a million and one times, but it bears repeating.

As if to prove that very point, two weeks after the Nine Tails reveal, Shikamaru unveils one of his genius master plans (the third Naruto's been involved in, but the first he's actually been privy to): helping Naruto pull his grades up at the Academy.

Admittedly, they have a bit of a rough start. Shikamaru's always suspected that Naruto doesn't learn like everyone else, and he's proven correct almost immediately.

Visuals and active demonstrations, giving him problems to solve, ideas of what to picture in his mind, centers to focus on—those seem to work best. Figuring that out doesn't take long and isn't hard at all, and with the way Naruto takes to it and actually proves himself pretty damn bright almost immediately—Shikamaru is absolutely fucking furious.

He wants to shove every last one of the Academy's monotonous lectures and matter-of-fact textbooks down the teachers' damn throats. Not all kids learn the same, damn it! He's only a kid, and even he knows that! If the teachers had just noticed and approached Naruto's learning in a different way from the beginning, rather than ignoring him or yelling at him for not being like everyone else all this time…!

But as it turns out, as always seems to be the case with him, there's even more to it than that. Naruto finds it hard to put his problems into words at first (since, you know, this is all just normal for him), but once he does, they're all blown away.

His enhanced senses pick up on everything that goes on around him in the too-quiet, too-still of the classroom, even outside with the windows shut, things the rest of them, even Kiba and Akamaru, can block out no problem. He really does try his best, and he's figured out how to shut out the super bothersome things if he focuses hard enough, but he's too curious and too understimulated by the boring, confusing lessons to be able to do it all the time.

And since learning the truth, he's realized that even when he's not distracted by everything around him out of curiosity or boredom, the Nine Tails is. He feels its emotions in the back of his mind, its agitation, its restless energy, its need to move and run and be free. They don't…mix with his feelings so much as work off of them, like some kind of weird feedback loop.

It feels like being assaulted from everywhere at once. No matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, he just can't win.

Once they hear all that, the others feel awful. No wonder the poor kid can't pass a test or answer questions to save his life! Shikamaru figures that's probably another reason he (used to) pull pranks in class, too, because at least those he understood, could focus on enough to distract him from the cacophony of noise all around him. Honestly, it makes sense, so much that it blows Naruto's mind.

Which obviously and inevitably just adds further fuel to Shikamaru's vengeful fire. What he wouldn't give to march into Iruka-sensei and Lord Third's offices and give them a piece of his damn mind. He doesn't even think his Dad would stop him. Hell, he'd probably eavesdrop somewhere and smirk like a hellion the whole time, then laugh his ass off the second he's alone and congratulate him once Mom's out of earshot.

Of course, as much as he wishes he could (and he's sure his Dad would approve), he can't actually do that. So, instead, he devises a better way—a way that will not only keep Naruto from coming in dead-last, but also knock the ignorant bastards right out of their sandals.

All that to say: they go on the academic warpath.

Every day after school, Kiba and Akamaru spend an hour helping Naruto train his enhanced senses. It's not quite the same since Naruto's are even sharper and more sensitive than theirs, but it's the closest he's going to get, and he's grateful as all hell. It only takes a few sessions for him to start noticing a difference, and Shikamaru and the others swear they almost die of smug satisfaction the first time Naruto answers multiple class questions correctly.

Once that hour's up, one of the others stays behind to help Naruto with whatever classwork he doesn't understand. Mostly, to absolutely no one's surprise, Shikamaru. He's the best at explaining things to Naruto in ways that make sense to him, and to everyone's amusement, the way Naruto looks at things actually makes Shikamaru add to or occasionally even change his answers completely.

And last, but certainly not least, whenever they can, one or more of them spars with Naruto. It takes some time for him to get used to sparring with people who actually want to see what he can do versus beat him to a pulp, who don't mind reiterating the basics and giving him pointers or the fact that he's laughably terrible with kunai and shuriken for his age, who encourage him and help him up and congratulate him when he comes up with a strategy they didn't see coming.

But once he does, he's not sure he's ever felt more alive! The first time he thoroughly kicks a classmate's ass (one of the biggest bullies in their year, as luck would have it), the Konoha 11 jump up as one and erupt into the loudest cheers he's ever heard, several of them crying—Shikamaru the hardest by far! Naruto can't help crying happy tears of his own. (Once he gets over his shock, even Iruka-sensei congratulates him, going so far as to pat him on the back!)

For the first time in his life, Naruto actually finds himself enjoying schoolwork and sparring sessions and really feeling like he knows what's going on in class. He's actually excited to get sparring assessments and assignments and tests back now so he can beam and all too proudly show his friends—which is infinitely better than the overwhelming dread, shame, humiliation, and intense urge to crumple them up to avoid the awful whispers and looks and words about how stupid and worthless he is that always came before.

So far, his teachers are scratching their heads at his much-improved behavior and grades, Iruka-sensei especially, but he seems happy about it, at least! To Naruto's surprise, he's even doing his best not to yell at him anymore! (Not that Naruto really gives him a reason to anymore, but still!) The classroom is much more peaceful these days (though he'll still play the occasional genuinely fun prank that even makes Iruka-sensei laugh if he sees his friends need a little cheering up!).

The thing is, for someone like Naruto, all this…it's earth-shattering. It's almost hard for him to believe sometimes, that it's even real, that it really is happening, to him. It feels like a dream, one he desperately doesn't want to wake up from. He's never known peace like this, not within himself or in this village – never thought he would, if he's being honest. And sure, the villagers are still jerks, bullies still rag on him and the others every chance they get, and their words still hurt, but…everything else is so much better. Better than he ever imagined his life could be.

That's why he's decided: he's going to make friends with the Nine Tails.

Taking a step back to look at things objectively…Naruto realizes he can't feel anything but sorry for it.

It's not like the Nine Tails chose to be sealed inside him, inside his mom, inside Lady Mito before her—and maybe even somebody or a lot of somebodies before that. Hell, it attacked his village and killed his parents because it was so desperate to escape and be free!

And while Naruto's pretty sure he's supposed to be angry and hurt and hate it for that like all the other villagers…damn it, he can't.

It just…doesn't seem fair to blame the Nine Tails. It was only defending itself. His parents were going to seal it away again. Anyone would have fought tooth and nail to escape that kind of fate. It's not like it and his mom were friends either, so it's not like it betrayed her or anything. At least, from what he understands. (Maybe someday, he'll be able to ask someone who actually knew her. Wouldn't that be something?)

When it comes down to it, he never knew his parents. He never knew their warmth and encouragement and love. He doesn't know how to miss something, someone, he never had. It's true that there's always been an ache in his soul that instinct tells him is for them, but it's not like it can ever be soothed. Certainly not by hating the Nine Tails for taking them from him. That won't help or solve anything.

Besides, just because he lost them and never got to know them, it doesn't mean he can't still love them, right? He knows he can because he always has, without ever knowing a single thing about them, and now that he knows at least a little bit? That they loved him so much that they gave their lives for him when he was barely even born? If anything, it makes him love them even more.

As for attacking the village—ha! Naruto would be lying through his teeth if he said he didn't understand. On the contrary, if he understands anything about the Nine Tails, it's that.

He's only had to deal with the villagers' torment for ten-almost-eleven years, and he can't imagine living hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years at their mercy, seeing and hearing and feeling their hatred through its vessel. This village has treated the Nine Tails like a battered, blood-soaked piece on a shogi board instead of the sentient, intelligent, feeling creature it is, has always been—the same way they've always treated Naruto.

So, damn it all, he gets it! He's thought of lashing out, of biting and clawing and hurting the way the villagers have always hurt him, a hundred, thousand, million times. Of course he has. He's only human, only a kid, and he can only take so much. He's pretty sure he's reached and surpassed his breaking point about ten thousand times by now.

But…he knows, has always known on some level, that nothing good will come of it. It'll only give them what they want, prove all their suspicions and fears right, give them actual reason to hate him, and then their abuse will be seen as – he nearly gags – justified.

No. No way. He refuses to be a pawn in their sick, twisted game.

This cycle of pain and hatred will only ever end if he ends it.

So, one quiet winter afternoon after classes let out and the Konoha 11 all go their separate ways for clan or family business (common in winter, Naruto's found), Naruto hurries home to sit cross-legged on the floor in the middle of his apartment and attempts to clear his mind.

Iruka-sensei taught them meditation at the beginning of the year, and he leads them through it once every few months. The thing is, it's never really worked for Naruto, and he's never understood why.

But today was the first time since he learned about the Nine Tails, and he's realized something important.

Whenever he tried before, there was always this…tug at the back of his mind. Prior to reaching the innermost circle of his consciousness, it would always distract him, and then something else—one of his classmates, something outside, the itch of bad words forming on his skin, you name it—would catapult him out entirely. Iruka-sensei always thought he was being disruptive on purpose, trying to divert attention so he could pull another prank. He never listened when Naruto tried to explain, just sent him out into the hall. (To his credit, today he actually gave Naruto the benefit of the doubt, just asked him to stay quiet and keep trying.)

But this time, in the (too-)quiet, (too-) dark, (too-)lonely of his apartment, when Naruto delves inside himself enough to feel that tug, he's floored to realize it's actually pulling him in.

Undeniably curious, yet with no small amount of trepidation, he follows it, some instinct he's never truly understood calling him, getting stronger the further he goes.

And then, all at once, he opens his eyes to find himself in a dark, dingy-looking room, water-but-not up to his shins cooling his skin, but not soaking his clothes. Behind him, he finds pipes snaking along the walls in all directions and countless winding pathways that seem to stretch on for eternity. How strange…

It's almost as if…getting here at all is some sort of test, a rite of passage of the Nine Tails' own design. (Or a trap, his distrusting side automatically supplies, but he stubbornly shuts that down. That's not fair. He hasn't even met the Nine Tails yet.)

As if on cue, something moves in the near-pitch darkness in front of him, and he looks up—

His feels all the blood rush from his face as his mouth drops open and his eyes go up and up and up.

The stories the teachers tell paint the Nine Tails as larger than life, but even that doesn't do it justice! It's practically a mountain, the size of Hokage Mountain, maybe bigger! Blood-red eyes the size of the moon are wide open and trained on him. There's a fire in them, but it's subdued for now, inevitably curious as they roam over his trembling form. Even in the face of the biggest, meanest villagers, Naruto's not sure he's ever felt so small.

So, my whelp of a container finally graces me with his presence. It grins, all teeth and laughter and – Naruto blinks – is that…tentative hope? I'll admit, I thought you'd take another few years to find me. I estimated thirteen at the soonest.

Its nine great tails sway from side to side behind it, and Naruto gets the impression that it's…amused? What does it mean, he found it early? Does that mean his mom and Lady Mito found it later? No, that can't be it. They knew about the Nine Tails when he didn't, so that doesn't make sense. His is a special case, though, so… maybe that's what it means? He didn't even know about it like they did, but he found it anyway?

He wants to talk to it, he has so many questions, but he can't get anything to come out. He's shaking like a leaf, can barely breathe. He's never been so terrified in his entire life.

Somehow, it's only hitting him now that this is the Nine-Tailed Fox! This is the beast that attacked his village, that killed his parents, that tried to kill him as a baby! It could eat him in a second flat, and it'd probably barely taste him! Whether he thinks it was justified or he blames it for anything or not, that's still…it's still…—!

Markings on its fur catch what little light there is in this place, seeming to change with each breath it takes. Welcoming the distraction, Naruto squints, trying to see better. A tiny gasp leaves him. Are—are those…?

He flinches when the Nine Tails shifts, tails fanning out around its body.

What's the matter, brat? It smirks something fierce, a laughing undercurrent making the water around them vibrate and slosh. Fox got your tongue?

Naruto can't help it.

He turns tail and runs.

He doesn't stop running until he gets to the safest place he knows:

Shikamaru.

He's never been to Shikamaru's actual house before, just the Konoha 11's clubhouse on the Nara land behind it, but the same instinct that sent him here has him scrambling up to the door anyway. He dances nervously from foot to foot for a split second before he knocks like his life depends on it.

The door swings open almost immediately, and Naruto trips over himself in his haste to back away. Just to be safe, he looks over his shoulder toward the compound gate. If he needs to bolt, at least the way is clear.

Blinking down at him is someone who looks like an older, taller version of Shikamaru with two long scars across half his face. This must be Shikaku, Shikamaru's Dad. Shikamaru adores him, and for good reason. He's the one who told Shikamaru the truth so he could tell Naruto and the others. He risked treason to give his son and friends peace of mind that the village saw fit to keep from them. Naruto wants to thank him, say something, anything, but he finds his words are still stuck in his throat. Damn it, come on! Why now?!

Luckily, it doesn't seem to matter. Shikaku just smiles at him, concern in his eyes (and doesn't it say a lot about Naruto's life so far that that nearly shocks him out of his skin?), and then turns back toward the house.

"Shikamaru! Naruto's here!"

Naruto blinks, surprised, but he's quickly distracted by the sound of dishes being thrown down haphazardly and the sight of Shikamaru practically bulldozing past his Dad to get to him.

Shikamaru looks him over first thing, hands ghosting over him to check for anything out of place, heart beating like crazy in his chest.

Naruto's never come to the Nara compound alone before, never even tried to go anywhere near his house. He looks pale and sweaty and winded like he ran for his life the whole way here, but he doesn't look hurt, thank God, and the words on his skin are the same bullshit as always. Still, he wants to be sure.

He sets gentle hands on trembling shoulders. "Hey. Talk to me, sunshine. Are you okay? What happened?"

Sunshine.

That precious nickname breathes new life into Naruto's lungs, and combined with Shikamaru's warmth and steadying presence, his nerves finally settle enough to stop shaking. He takes a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth (a calming exercise Neji taught him recently), does it one more time, and then, with a nervous glance Shikaku's way, he leans up to whisper in Shikamaru's ear, cupping his mouth to keep it private.

"You what?!"

Of course, at that moment—

"Shikaku, Shikamaru! Dinner!"

Both boys snap up as Yoshino Nara appears in the doorway, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Naruto practically throws himself behind Shikamaru on sight. "Hey, it's okay," Shikamaru reassures, reaching up to squeeze Naruto's fingers death-gripping his shoulder. "You don't have to worry about my parents. They're not like the others. I promise."

Distrust and indecision hollow out a painful space in Naruto's chest. Years of fear and pain and heartache have taught him he can't trust any adult besides Teuchi and Ayame (he gave up on the Old Man a long time ago). But…these are Shikamaru's parents. For all that he complains about them sometimes (something all kids seem to do, Naruto's found), Shikamaru loves them, and Naruto loves and trusts Shikamaru, and Shikamaru knows how important promises are to him. He wouldn't lie, not to him, especially not about something like this.

As if on cue, Yoshino's gaze falls on him, making him freeze, but her smile just softens. Naruto can't help the way his eyes widen and heart stutters in his chest. "You, too, Naruto, if you're hungry!"

Shikamaru breaks out into a wide smile while Naruto's mouth drops open. They look at each other, and Shikamaru nods toward the house with a raised brow. As long as Naruto's okay with it, they might as well. They'll be able to hash out Naruto's news better on a full stomach anyway. (Come to think of it, this will probably be the first home-cooked meal Naruto's ever had! The thought makes him want to drag Naruto inside as fast as he can and kick Lord Third's ass in the same breath.)

Naruto looks back at Shikaku and Yoshino. They're not glaring, yelling, insulting him, shoving him, throwing him out, running him off. He doesn't even feel the itch-crawl of bad words on his skin like he always does with adults, and a quick glance tells him he's not wrong. They haven't made a single move against him the whole time he's been here. All they've done so far is help him by getting Shikamaru and, of all things, invite him to stay.

He feels like his whole world's just been rocked, knocked at least a hundred degrees off its axis. This has never happened to him before. This is…hell, he doesn't even know what to call it. Grappling for purchase in his mind, he glances back at Shikamaru and tightens his grip on his hand to anchor himself.

If nothing else, he knows he's safe with Shikamaru.

Swallowing, he turns back to Yoshino and hesitates before bowing his head politely. "Y-yes, please," he manages, barely above a whisper, "M-Mrs. Nara, ma'am."

Yoshino blinks wide eyes a moment before she bursts out laughing, a bright, happy blush painting her cheeks. "My, my! What a polite young man!" Turning to her husband with a smug smirk, she pokes him in the chest and pushes him back a few steps. "You and Shikamaru could learn a thing or two from him!"

With that, she leads the way inside.

"Yes, dear!" Shikaku stares after his wife with a besotted expression while Shikamaru feigns a gag. Naruto snickers. These guys are funny! Shikaku waves them inside. "Come on, boys! Letting such good food get cold would be a crime!"

In what feels like no time at all, Naruto finds himself sitting beside Shikamaru at the family's small kitchen table. Rice, miso soup, and a grilled fish the size of his forearm sit in front of him. (It doesn't escape him that his portions are bigger than the others'.)

He can't believe his eyes! He's never seen this much food in his life, at least that wasn't half-rotting in the garbage! It all looks and smells amazing! Ichiraku Ramen may be his favorite food in the world, cup ramen a quarter-step behind, but this is on a whole other level! He wants to eat it so badly, his mouth is watering! His stomach's on the verge of growling up a storm!

But…!

His hands sweat, stomach churns.

Don't get him wrong. He trusts Shikamaru, and he desperately wants to trust his parents. It's just…he's…he's been yelled at and slapped and hit more times than he can count (even poisoned a few times, back when he was really little and didn't know the difference between those he could trust with his food (Teuchi and Ayame) and those he couldn't (everyone else)) for even looking at food like this! Is it…really okay for him to…?

—!

Naruto blinks as Shikamaru leans into his space to steal a bite of fish, chewing thoroughly and swallowing. He watches with wide eyes, darting scared looks toward his parents, but Shikamaru just sends him a warm, pained smile and presses his leg against his.

Naruto's eyes widen and burn, and a touched lump starts to form in his throat. No one's ever…! How can he just look at Naruto and know…? He feels vulnerable, but so seen, too, more than he ever has, and he couldn't be any more grateful for him if he tried. He's amazing…! The best…!

Doing his best to rein himself in, he turns back to his food with renewed vigor. His stomach growls with abandon at last, the loudest thing in the room, and he jumps, glancing anxiously up at Shikamaru's parents.

But they just smile and laugh. (Their hearts hurt at that flinch.)

"Sounds like someone's hungry!" Yoshino comments, and Naruto blinks. She doesn't seem angry or offended. If anything, she seems thrilled! "Growing boys need their fuel! Eat up, okay? As much as you want!"

Naruto's eyes widen and mouth drops open slightly, and he looks to Shikaku to make sure that really is okay. He smiles and nods. "My wife is a badass cook! The best in the clan—hell, the whole village!"

Yoshino snorts and pushes her husband's face away teasingly. "Oh, don't tell him that! You'll set the bar too high! He'll be disappointed!"

Shikaku barks a laugh. "Impossible!" He winks Naruto's way. "Tell her, Naruto! Try it and see! No one can pass up a meal made by my Yoshino!"

Naruto may not have tried it yet, but he still can't help but agree. It looks and smells like the best meal he'll ever have! Besides, he's heard from Choji and Ino (and Shikamaru himself) a hundred times how awesome her cooking is, and he trusts their stomachs (especially Choji's)!

All the same, he wants to be extra, extra sure. So, he turns to Shikamaru, who smiles at him like he's the most painful, amazing thing in his life (and damn it all, he is). "They mean it, Naruto. Seriously, eat all you want."

With that last reassurance he needs, Naruto more than happily does as he's told.

Oh, wow…! Besides Ichiraku, it's the best food he's ever tasted! So this is what a Mom's food tastes like…! Happy, bittersweet tears start and stream down his face, but he does his best to wipe them away. He's a guest, he's supposed to be polite…! Shikamaru reaches to hold his hand under the table, and Naruto latches on gladly.

(Shikaku and Yoshino see, but pretend otherwise. A dark fury flashes through them at the thought of such a sweet little boy being hurt for the crime of being hungry, for something he can't control, doesn't (didn't) even know. Damn that Lord Third…!)

He out-eats the rest of them by a mile. He swears he'll never forget this meal as long as he lives!

After helping with the dishes (it's actually really fun to do when he's not alone, all of them teasing and laughing together!), it's time to wind down before bed.

Shikamaru invites him to spend the night, something that makes Naruto light up like a supernova. This must be one of those 'sleepovers' he's always heard the other kids talk about! He's never been to one of those before! (Hearing that, Shikamaru makes a mental note to have all eleven of them sleep over here at the soonest opportunity!)

On the way upstairs, Naruto stops in front of Shikaku.

To be honest, he's still not quite sure what to make of him or Mrs. Yoshino yet (they gave him permission to use their given names over dinner, something that still has Naruto reeling), and it's too early to say whether or not he fully trusts them. It'll probably take a few visits or more for him to even begin to soothe those age-old hurts.

But still…he appreciates more than he can say that Shikaku was honest with Shikamaru about the Nine Tails, about why the villagers treat him the way they do. No one else, not even Teuchi and Ayame (not that he blames them, not when they do everything for him they can), has ever paid him anything close to that same courtesy.

Gathering his courage, he looks Shikaku in the eyes and then bows as low as he can. "Thank you so much, Mr. Shikaku, sir! For—for telling Shikamaru the truth! I might never have known if it wasn't for you!"

He means it, too. Seeing as it's a Village secret and he'll be graduating next year, Naruto honestly wonders what the Old Man's end goal even was, if he was ever planning on telling him at all. Seems like letting him know he has a village-razing powerhouse sealed inside him would be a priority, you know? Sheesh!

It's silent for a beat, and then Shikaku lets out a quiet, warm hum. Naruto straightens to find a kind smile and a feather-light hand ruffling his hair, and it makes something inside his heart want. He does his best not to let it fester. (Wanting has never ended well for him.)

Shikaku, for his part, crouches down in front of him and can't help falling tender, though part of it's pained. "You're welcome, Naruto. I'm just sorry it took me so long. I wish I could have told you sooner."

Naruto's mouth drops open in shock. He wants to protest, remind him of the Old Man's decree, but he snaps it shut when Shikaku rakes a hand down his face with a weary sigh. Technically, he'll be tempting fate with this, but honestly? With how much Lord Third's pissed him off and how much respect he's lost for him over these last near-eleven years, he thinks the old bastard should consider himself fucking lucky he isn't doing worse. (Because he can. He's not the Leaf's Chief Strategist for nothing.)

The eyes he trains on Naruto are just like Shikamaru's, deep and sincere and determined. "The truth is, your parents and I were friends. We grew up together, just like you and Shikamaru and the rest of your Konoha 11."

Naruto's eyes go wide as saucers, breath goes still in his chest, Shikamaru the same beside him. A shocked thrill runs down his spine. Is he really doing what he thinks he is? Is he offering him the answers he's been wanting all his life? Not wanting to get ahead of himself, just in case, he focuses on the way his heart fills at Shikaku calling the Konoha 11 his.

"If you ever have questions and want to know about them," Shikaku chuckles, "even if you just want to hear embarrassing stories, all you have to do is ask. I'll tell you anything you want to know." He fixes Naruto with a pointed stare. "But no one besides your friends can know, least of all that I told you. Understand?"

Naruto nods immediately, a few times. It makes sense, and even if it didn't, he'd overlook it just for this chance. He doesn't know if he'll ever get another one.

Holy crap, he can't believe this is happening, but he knows it is because he just pinched himself! He's practically vibrating with excitement, bouncing on his toes while he shoots a blinding beam an insanely intrigued Shikamaru's way and tries to decide what to ask. He has so many questions, he doesn't even know where to start! For now, he's going to assume their identities are still off-limits (and he thinks he's a little too emotional right now for a bombshell like that anyway), so he opts for something safer instead.

"Do I—do I look like them?"

Shikaku's smile turns helpless, but sad, and regret shadows his eyes and drags down his tone. For the thousandth time, he wishes with all his heart that he could have given their precious boy the life he deserves. (Damn you, Lord Third!) He can only pray Kushina and Minato will forgive him and let him make up for it starting today. "You got your hair and eyes from your father," his smile widens, and a tiny laugh bubbles up from his throat, "but your face and personality are all your mother. Even that little phrase you're so fond of, 'you know'. That was hers, too."

Naruto brightens more the more he hears, so much that it actually hurts to look at. Shikamaru's distinctly reminded of the moment he realized Naruto was their mysterious word-giver, lump in his throat and all. Shikaku can't stop himself from ghosting the gentlest of fingers over Naruto's whiskered cheek. He wants to cup it, to hold him, but…he doesn't think he should. They're not there yet. They're practically still strangers, at least or especially from Naruto's point of view. This early, it would just scare him. Maybe someday, though, hopefully soon. He considers it a personal win when Naruto doesn't flinch or shy away from him now.

"They loved you, Naruto," he tells him, soft and quiet, earnest, like it's something sacred. Because it is. "They loved you so much. They were so excited for you to be born, for the chance to be your parents and live together as a family." He manages to swallow back most of the emotion that wants to come out, but his voice is the slightest bit raspy nonetheless. "I'm so sorry you never got to know them."

With those words, Naruto's world is turned on its head.

All his life, he's been told that no one ever wanted him, that that's why he was alone and hungry and hurt all the time, why everyone in the village hated him, why such horrible words always covered his skin, and especially why he didn't have a family. Before the Konoha 11 took him in, he honestly thought that's how it would always be for him.

But…but now he's being told…that's not true…that he was wanted and loved all along! It hurts…it hurts so much…but it makes him so happy, too…!

Heat flares behind his eyes, and his lips tremble and chin wobbles. Shikamaru's warm hand finds and rubs his back immediately, and he leans into it, even into Shikaku's huge, calloused hand that moves to help him wipe away the tears that've started down his face. He can't help the way his voice cracks with a desperate sob when he asks, "R-really? They—they did?"

He can't see Shikaku's face through his tears, but he hears the pained love in his voice no problem. It makes him even more emotional. "I promise you, swear on my life, they wanted and loved you more than anything, Naruto. You were their pride and joy before you were even born. I'd never seen them so happy than in the months leading up to your birth. You were the sun in their sky, no doubt about it."

Hearing that, so coincidentally close to Shikamaru's own nickname for him, Naruto just cries harder. He's so happy! He never thought he'd get to know anything about his parents, but now, he finally can!

Part of him wants to stay here all night and ask questions till he's hoarse and blue in the face, but the rest of him holds fast to his reason for coming here in the first place. Shikaku didn't make it sound like this would be the last time, and he hopes that means he'll be welcome back (another first for him!), so…

For now, he really thinks he should tell Shikamaru what happened with the Nine Tails and see what he thinks of everything. He values his opinion more than anyone else's.

He gives himself time to cry out the worst of it, and then he does his best to compose himself. He can work through the rest of what he's feeling tomorrow, when he's alone. Wiping his face and eyes and blowing his nose with the tissues Shikamaru grabbed from the other room, he takes a deep, calming breath, then another, and then one more for good measure.

Okay… He thinks he's okay now.

Locking eyes with Shikaku, he bows his head and offers a smile that's bigger than any he's been brave enough to offer yet. "Thank you so much, Mr. Shikaku, sir, for telling me that."

Shikaku nods. "Of course. Any time you want to hear more, just say the word."

"Careful." Shikaku blinks at Naruto's sudden daring, smirking with the best of them. "As future Hokage, I'll hold you to that!"

Shikaku throws his head back to laugh out loud.

Watching them with soft, proud eyes, Shikamaru doesn't think his heart's ever felt so full.

"So, what was it like?" Shikamaru can't help but ask once they're upstairs and changed into pajamas, settled side-by-side in his bed. Sue him, he's curious as hell. It's not every day you get to learn about an ancient power, after all. He rests his hand on Naruto's to give him something to ground him. Naruto latches on gladly. "You were scared, I know, but…"

He leaves it open-ended, and Naruto thinks back. Pushing aside how he felt then, he focuses on the Nine Tails and how it felt, its feelings so much more potent in its own mindscape.

It was…curious about him, first and foremost. Amused and impressed that he found it three years early. Its voice was so deep when it spoke, and it only dawns on him now that its mouth didn't move with its words. Maybe it uses some kind of telepathy to talk to its containers? That's so cool! (Ino will have a field day when he tells her!)

It didn't say much in the grand scheme of things, but that's probably because it was waiting for him to say something, to react and make the first move. He was technically in its space, setting foot in its territory. (Nervous) anticipation practically crackled in the air.

"I wanted to talk to it, so badly," Naruto laments, face scrunched up in a frustrated pout. He curls a light fist in his pajama shirt, right over his seal. "But…I just…"

"You were overwhelmed and afraid," Shikamaru reminds gently, squeezing his hand, threading their fingers together. "Anyone would be with something like that, but especially with how you've suffered being its Jinchuuriki." Naruto opens his mouth to protest, defend it—a reaction that doesn't surprise Shikamaru in the least; Naruto's empathy knows no bounds—but Shikamaru just winks his way. "Not that any of it's actually the Nine Tails' fault, of course, but still. I'm sure the Nine Tails was just as overwhelmed as you were. First impressions, you know?" He shrugs. Naruto swallow and nods. Yeah. It was definitely nervous, on edge. It reminds him of himself when he meets new people… "What happened next?"

Naruto remembers the dim light highlighting something on its fur. It's a little hazy since he only saw it for a second or two, so he closes his eyes to help him picture it better. They looked like…markings of some kind, but they changed with every breath, placement, too. Almost like…

His eyes snap open, heart almost stops.

Words!

That's what they were! The Nine Tails was covered in words! But…why would they shift like that?

Shikamaru hums thoughtfully. "Well, considering no one knows where the Tailed Beasts came from, that could check out. For all we know, maybe they're not from our world, our universe, even our dimension, and if that's true, then I guess it'd make sense for our laws, our words, not to stick."

Then, inevitably,

"What words did you see? Can you remember?"

Naruto grimaces, fist tightening in his shirt until his knuckles turn white and pop. He swears this pain feels almost physical.

"They were just like mine," he whispers, haunted. He can't bring himself to say them out loud. His small hand trembles, and Shikamaru soundly encases it in both his own. Neither brings attention to the fact that his voice is shaking, too. "Horrible, awful things. Some were weird, sounded old, like they were from a really long time ago. Some were written in other languages, I think, and there were symbols, too." Naruto has to blink back empathetic tears. "There were so many… I've never seen that many on one person before…"

It makes him feel even worse for flinching like he did when it moved right after that, but well, old habits die hard. Hopefully the Nine Tails understood. He sees now that it was curling in on itself, fur bristling, like it was scared, on the defensive, and its tails…they fanned out around it in an effort to cover itself. It was trying to hide its words.

His vision swims, and he has to purse his lips white to keep them from trembling.

Its last words to him were meant to be teasing, he thinks, but there was warning in it, too, anxiety and fear in its too-wide smirk and too-tense laugh.

More than anything, it was terrified that Naruto would be like all its containers before—judge it, hate it, reject it without ever giving it a chance.

Left to its lonely dark once more.

A few tears fall. He can't help it. His heart feels like it's splintering, about to shatter from the inside out, empathy riding each painful beat throughout his body. That was him, just a few short months ago…

But…just like back then, there was hope, too. He swears he felt it when they first locked eyes, each time the Nine Tails spoke, with each sway of its tails, when it smirked and laughed and poked fun. Looking back on it now, the entire place was saturated with it—that and intense loneliness. The exact same kind Naruto used to feel…

A shaky breath leaves him as more tears stream, and he has to cover his mouth to stifle a sob. He already suspected, but…he and the Nine Tails…they're the same…

Shikamaru presses a few tissues into his hand, and then fixes him with warm, determined eyes. "At least you understand where it's coming from. That's important. That's more than anyone else has ever done. And hey, this was just your first try. Nobody ever said making friends with it would be easy, right?"

Naruto sniffs, breathing a laugh. "Y-yeah…" He smiles softly through his drying tears. He's still angry at himself, but he knows Shikamaru's right. Of course he is. This is why he came to him. He always knows what to say to make Naruto look deeper and feel better.

"It's not like this was your only shot either. I'm sure it's tied up in knots over how everything went, too, so I think it'd be good for you, both of you, to try again. You can show it you're not like the ones who put those words on it. Show it you're better!" Knowing how Naruto is, though, he eyes him seriously. "But take it slow, sunshine. You don't want to overdo it, for both your sakes."

A heartbeat. "You really think I can?" Naruto can't help but ask, voice small and blue eyes wide. "Make friends with it, I mean?"

Shikamaru snorts and looks at him like he's the most (amazingly) impossible thing he's ever seen. "With your track record? I'd have to be a complete idiot to think anything else."

A blinding beam springs to Naruto's face, and he throws his arms around Shikamaru as affection and determination crowd his chest. He has always been told he doesn't know when to quit! "Thanks, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru laughs out loud, curling him close and burying his face in precious sunshine hair, breathing him in. He'd write this on his heart if he could. "Any time you need me, remember? I'm here."

A week later, Naruto shows back up at Shikamaru's.

But this time, he's beaming fit to burst.

He put Important on the Nine Tails' paw.

True to his word, after another few months of slow, careful, diligent work, Naruto and Kurama (the Nine Tails' real name, he's learned) become friends.

It even goes so far as to help him train, letting him use its chakra after he proves he can control it in short bursts.

BOOM!

Naruto leans on his knees, breathing hard. Staring at the vertical training log that now has a huge chunk taken out of it, he wipes sweat from his brow.

"How was that, Kurama?"

There's a pleased hum. Not bad, kit. Try easing up on the power a bit. Don't want to carve a hole through a comrade by mistake. Naruto pales, and Kurama chuckles. Relax. It was only a warning. I'd pull my chakra back before I let that happen. This time, try visualizing the exact scale of the damage you want to do.

Naruto pulls his fist back with a determined grin. "You got it!"

BOOM!

Two weeks later, the Konoha 11 sans Shikamaru and Naruto are walking home together after Academy classes let out. It's a rare free afternoon for them, and they're more than ready to make the most of it!

"Oh, come on! Kurenai is obviously the best choice for a sensei! She's beautiful and cool and specializes in genjutsu! How awesome is that?! Plus, she's gotta be really strong! They don't make just anybody a jounin, ya—!"

Kiba cuts himself off and stops dead in his tracks. Claws itching to poke out and hair on the back of his neck standing on end, he sniffs the air. Akamaru bristles and growls against his chest. "You, too, huh, boy?"

"What is it, Kiba? What's wrong?" Neji asks.

Finally getting a lock on the scent (there are so many smells around here, it's hard to keep them straight sometimes), he spins on his heel to look back toward the Academy. "I smell trouble."

Glancing at each other, they take off at a run.

Shikamaru can't believe his eyes, heart pounding like a drum in his chest. It takes him a few seconds to make sense of what the hell just happened.

He only just got out of classes now, late due to Iruka-sensei wanting to tell him personally that he's in the running for Rookie of the Year (something he still can't believe). Between reeling from that and hurrying to catch up with the others, he didn't even register the footsteps rushing up behind him until it was too late.

By the time he did, the leader of this particular gang was already lunging for him, too close and too fast for even his shadows to react in time. All he could do was brace himself for impact.

But it never came.

"Shikamaru!"

BOOM!

When the dust clears, all any of them can do is stare at Naruto straddling the leader—and, more importantly, at the crater in the ground right beside his head. Naruto could have let that be his face, it would have been so easy, but he held back. (He's pissed, sure, but he doesn't want to kill them, just scare the shit out of them. (Though he wouldn't mind a thorough ass-kicking for good measure.))

The rest of the bullies are pale as ghosts and practically shitting themselves, holding each other and trembling.

Shikamaru's mouth has dropped open, his heart in his throat. What the hell? How—? He thought Naruto went with the others! What the hell is he doing here? Where did he come from? How did he even know he was in trouble? Was that red chakra the Nine Tails'? Is that crater the result of all the training they've been doing recently?

Meanwhile, the only thing that has Naruto's attention is the bullies, the one underneath him in particular.

He's breathing hard, through gritted teeth, and there's a furious, guttural almost-growl in the undertones. His eyes flicker between blue and red, and if they look closely, they swear they see fangs fighting to grow in.

"How dare you?!" he roars. They wince, whimper, the leader driving the back of his head into the ground in a futile effort to put some distance between them. It almost makes Naruto feel a little bad (he doesn't want to become the bully, after all), but then he remembers that these guys are the ones who've tortured his friends for so long, and the protective inferno in his chest burns that to a crisp, a low, warning growl coming in. "If you ever lay a hand on my friends," his lips are pulled back in a ferocious, animalistic snarl, and he glares over his shoulder at the other bullies, too, aiming to strike the very real fear of death into every last one of them; he looks so demonic that, if Shikamaru didn't intimately know better, he'd think the Nine Tails really had taken over, "I'll kill you!"

The bullies, too scared to speak, flinch and whine and jump back. A few of them, including the asshole leader under him, are straight up crying. Naruto scoffs. Can't take what they dish out, huh? Typical! What a bunch of chumps!

"Okay, then." He gives the leader a hard look, threat in every shade of his blue-red eyes. Then, he swings his leg off of him and uses the momentum to put himself between them and Shikamaru in one fluid motion. He doesn't trust them as far as he can throw them.

The bastard takes off like a shot, the others not even a step behind. Not a single one of them looks back, but Naruto's eyes don't leave them for a second. He even goes so far as to count them, just to make sure one or two don't try to hide out and get revenge. If they're really lucky, maybe this'll keep them off the Konoha 11's backs for a while, if not forever. Only time will tell.

Once he's sure they're gone, he smirks, almost wolfish with satisfaction as he dusts himself off. "Well, what do you know? Looks like they're not completely stupid after all!"

Suddenly remembering Shikamaru, he makes a startled noise almost like a whine and scrambles to the ground in front of him. "H-hey, are you okay, Shikamaru?" He reaches out to touch him, but hesitates in case he's hurt. "I did my best to get to him before he could touch you, but—!" His hands tremble, and he bites his lip as he looks him over. He's never... He doesn't really know what... His eyes, the red completely drained from them, seem almost bluer in his earnestness when he looks back at him, pinpricks of tears gathering in his fear and inadequacy. "A-are you sure you're all right?"

Finally snapping out of his awed daze, Shikamaru picks himself up a bit. Shifting to his knees, he softens and reaches out to feather-lightly press their fingertips together. "Hey...don't worry so much," he reassures quietly. "I'm pretty sure I'm fine. Not so much as a scratch or skinned knee on me." He double checks and shows him to be safe, and then he moves to inspect Naruto, grabbing for his hand. "What about you? Are you okay? You made a crater in the ground with a single punch! That was crazy!"

Naruto's eyes widen, and the way he glances down at himself before understanding dawns sends a pang through Shikamaru's chest. Even after all these months, he's still getting used to having people care. That's what eleven years of abuse and neglect will do to a person, he supposes. Damn that Old Man!

Luckily, after a moment, Naruto brightens, a shining grin on his face – a stark as hell contrast to the almost-feral wild child from moments ago. "Hey, as long as you're okay, I am, too!"

Shikamaru wants to remind him that they've talked about his self-sacrificing tendencies, but lets it go for now. There's already been enough excitement for one day. He's still trying to get his heart rate back to normal. Naruto helps him to his feet, and then—

"Naruto! Shikamaru!"

"Are you guys okay?!"

Just like Naruto did earlier, the rest of the Konoha 11 come out of nowhere to surround them. Ino and Choji immediately flank a fondly resigned Shikamaru, while Naruto blinks and looks around at them all. "O-oh, hey, guys! Where'd you come from?"

"We saw everything!"

"N-Naruto, you were amazing!"

"I'll say! What the hell was that, Uzumaki?! When were you gonna tell us you're secretly a powerhouse?!"

"I have never seen that kind of chakra before! Is that what you meant when you said you were training with you-know-who?"

Naruto can only stare as more and more questions come in, and it kills them inside to see it. He's still not used to this, people asking if he's okay, wanting to know what he can do, caring about him, having friends. He's so good, and he's been done so much wrong…!

After a moment, though, he lights up and eagerly tells them anything and everything they want to know. Soon, they're all smiling and laughing, Kiba pulling Naruto in for a good old-fashioned noogie for 'holding out on them', as he puts it.

"Hey, now that we're all here, why don't we go to the park?"

Everyone brightens, but Naruto's the brightest thing for miles. "Yeah!"

"Afterward, how 'bout a sleepover at my place?" Shikamaru suggests, winking Naruto's way. "To celebrate Naruto's victory!"

They all cheer, and Naruto looks at him like he hung the damn moon. Shikamaru just ruffles his hair.

"Hey, Naruto!" Lee calls. "Have you ever played Meteor Ball?"

Naruto tilts his head. "Is that the one where you use your jutsu to throw the ball as high as you can and see who can catch it?" At Lee's enthusiastic confirmation, he scratches his cheek, smile turning sad. "Well, I've seen other kids play plenty of times, but I was never allowed to join in, so…"

Fury flashes white-hot in their chests. Naruto will never be excluded from anything again if they have anything to say about it!

Tenten places her hands on her hips. "Well, that's not fair at all!"

"How despicable!" Lee says.

The others voice similar agreements.

Glaring in the direction the bullies ran, Neji grumbles, "I'd like to show them where they can stick their Meteor Ball!"

Several snorts and raucous laughter come at that. Hinata erupts into surprised giggles (which Kiba would kill to hear for the rest of his life). "B-big brother Neji!"

Remembering himself, he flushes and waves placating hands. "Ah—! F-forgive me, Lady Hinata! I just—well—!"

Hinata sends him a mischievous smirk (Kiba swears his heart's gonna give out before graduation). "I never said you were wrong!"

Determined to right this wrong ASAP, they bring Naruto to the park to play Meteor Ball, teaching him the rules (modified so Lee can use his taijutsu, of course, then again so Naruto can use Kurama's chakra (only a little, though, so he doesn't destroy the ball!)) and then playing a game for real, beaming and laughing and teasing all the while. Naruto doesn't think he's ever had so much fun in his life!

Just before the sun starts to set, they separate to grab their overnight things and tell their families where they'll be, and then they meet back up at Shikamaru's house. Taking their things and dinner to one of the compound's huge empty rooms, they eat their fill and chat animatedly about anything and everything. Naruto happily lets the girls paint his nails, loving all the colors and designs, and he manages to rope the rest of them into it just by virtue of how excited and starstruck he is. (Call them suckers all you want, but honestly, how someone can say no to that face is beyond them!)

Once it gets dark enough, Shikamaru leads them to a grassy hill behind the house where they can watch the meteor shower that just so happens to be tonight. Naruto's wide-eyed and slack-jawed with awe. He's never seen anything like it. He swears it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

Of course… He looks around at all his friends. As gorgeous and breathtaking as this is, it's still nothing compared to them. These incredible people he's so lucky to know and have in his life, who've given him so much and not asked for a single thing in return beyond his friendship. They've changed everything for him, his entire life, in so many more ways than he thinks they even realize, and he doesn't know how he can ever repay them.

He's not ashamed at all when tears start down his face. He's just so happy…! He loves them so much…! More than anything…!

It's been a long day, so it's really no surprise when Naruto falls asleep right there in the grass. He can't help it. He just feels so safe and loved. Shikamaru all too happily carries him back.

It's only once they get settled in the dim lantern light that they see all the new good words on their skin. Words of love and encouragement and devotion, more and more the more they look.

Ten warm, wet gazes fall on Naruto. He's the only one who could have done it.

He's a broken boy who's only just started learning what love is and knowing it firsthand at ten, almost eleven. But he's always been a quick study when it comes to emotions, so even he must know that this can't be anything but.

He loves them, and they love him just as much.

Just before they fall asleep, they return the favor. It's the least they can do, and they swear they'll never let them fade.

They spent so long chasing their sun, and now that they've finally found him, they won't ever let him go.

After all, the Konoha 11 are friends for life.